Between You and an OR, I'll Take the OR
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: AU. Padme is an attending neurosurgeon. She has not seen Anakin since their horrible break up. What happens when he comes back into her life as the new head of cardiothoracics? Did he come back to win her back? Or is there another reason he returned?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! So I finally got around to posting the first chapter. I've never seen an AU like this in the stories i've read so I decided to take a chance with this (hope it works). Not sure how accurate any of this is, took a lot of my research from Grey's Anatomy. (If you follow my tumblr you know how much I love it).

Anyway, I hope you like it!

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Chapter 1

"Good morning Mr. Kim." Dr. Padme Amidala greeted when she entered his room.

The man gave her a smile, "Morning doctor, what's the damage?"

"Your operation went well," She started, "I got all of your tumor out, I just want to keep you here for observation to ensure the seizure you had didn't cause any long-term damage."

Kim nodded his head, "And I am guessing you'll run a few more tests and scans to be extra sure." He said with a laugh, "Lets hope this is the last time."

Padme agreed completely. Kim has been in to the hospital at least five times since she started her residency. He has had a liver transplant, an aneurism, appendicitis, broke both his legs in a car crash and now a tumor. Fortunately he has a sense of humor about it, as most regulars tend to be depressing to talk to.

Padme heard the sound of running and the distinct voice of Ahsoka Tano giving rushed apologies as she ran past nurses and patients. Coming to a skidding stop at the door she braced herself on the frame, "Hey! So sorry I'm late Dr. Amidala, I swear it will never happen again!" Ahsoka was one of the new interns this year. She is headstrong and hungry for surgery but she can be a little unorthodox at times. Regardless, it was Padme's job to educate her today. Who knows, maybe she will surprise her and be a natural neurosurgeon.

"Just try to be on time tomorrow, not every attending will be as lenient." Padme warned, "Take Mr. Kim down to CT and get me an MRI with contrast, please." With that said, she headed for the nurse's station. Leaning on the counter she started working on Kim's chart.

Dr. Bail Organa came over to lean against the counter as he too worked on his charts. "Did you hear about the new head of cardio?" He asked. Bail has been one of her closest friends at Courscant Memorial Hospital. He was one of the attending general surgeons while she was an attending neurosurgeon. They could talk about anything… well, almost anything.

"I know he was in the army." Padme answered, not bothering to look up from her chart, "some captain, I think."

"I heard he did a thoracotomy with a knife and spread the ribs with his bare hand."

Padme rolled her eyes. There have been many stories circulating around the hospital the past week about the new guy but she found most of them hard to believe. Dorme, one of the nurses and her best friend since high school had told her he was only twenty-four years old. But that was impossible; she was only just starting her residency at twenty four, there was no way he could be the head of a department with such limited experience. Dorme had other thoughts though; she believed his military service was more than enough to get him the job. Nevertheless, Padme did not believe most of the stories; to her they were all just rumors.

"He starts today, doesn't he?" Padme asked.

He nods his head, "Yeah, I think he as a surgery this morning even. I was going to go watch later, you want to come?"

Padme shook her head and Bail gave her a smile as he finished his chart and headed to his next patient. She finished shortly after and started down the hall to her next consult. Passing by one of the rooms she paused. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she heard a familiar voice from the room. It couldn't be who she thought it was, but the longer she stood there, the more she was convinced. Backtracking to the room, she glanced through the open door to see who it was.

The patient was a young woman who looked to be only a few years younger than her. She was listening intently to the doctor who stood at the end of the bed as he showed her something on his tablet, which was most likely one of her scans.

She could only see the back of his head but that only seemed to support her original thought. His messy dark blonde hair reached just above the base of his neck, and he must be at least six foot, one inch tall. It couldn't be. They haven't spoken in almost three years.

"…So basically, I am going to get to this part of your heart, called the aortic valve and replace the malfunctioning valve with the porcine valve." She could tell he had a smile on his face when he spoke just from the tone. Padme waited several moments until he finished talking and he turned just enough for her to see part of his face. Besides the scar on his right eye, she knew it was him. Quickly collecting herself, she turned back in the direction she had been headed and walked as fast as she could away from him. She had to find Dorme. She was not ready for this. They haven't spoken in years and it was only a matter of time before they have to talk. She didn't even know why he was here. Why did he come back?

Dorme sat at the front desk of the hospital working on a computer cataloging data and working on schedules. When she looked up from her work at Padme's approach, she could tell something was wrong, "Hey what's got you so nervous about?" She asked.

"He's here." Padme simply said, "Why is he here? Who asked him to come here?"

Dorme raised her hands to calm her, "Slow down there, and answer me this one question: 'he'?"

Padme braced her hands on the counter and leaned closer to her, "Anakin," She said in a low hiss, "He's here. In a white coat and everything!" She almost shouted, "He's doing a porcine valve replacement today."

Dorme shook her head, "You're freaking out for no reason, Padme." She said, "Even if it is him, he's just a resident. Maybe he's here because the resident program is good. But that doesn't matter. You're the attending, he's the resident; you're in charge." Padme knew she was right. Anakin should be in his beginning residency years by now, while she is an attending. She is his boss technically. And she knew he would never be interested in neurosurgery, he had already told her how much he hates it so they wouldn't really talk anyway. Padme let out a low groan, but she knew Anakin better than most, and he would try to find a way to talk to her, especially after the last conversation they had.

"I just have to avoid him as long as possible." She said just before her pager started beeping. Looking down she read the message, "Incoming trauma." She looked back up at Dorme who raised her hands in understanding.

"By all means, go do life saving surgery while I do paperwork and clean bedpans." Padme gave her a smile as she started to run to the ER.

Running down the hall, she dodged nurses and doctors but in her rush she barely managed to stop herself running into exactly the person she was hoping to avoid. She stopped with barely an inch between them and he instinctively grabbed both her arms to steady her. It took them a moment to collect themselves and take in what just happened.

Padme roughly pushed his arms off of her, "What do you think you're doing?" she all but shouts at him.

Anakin raises his brow at her, "Going to the ER. I got paged for a trauma." He answers as he turns and starts making his way to the ER again.

Padme runs to keep up with his long strides, "No you're not! I got paged!"

"So did I." Padme ignores him as she enters the ER and making her way out to the ambulance entrance with Anakin hot on her heels. The two of them stand there for several minutes each taking hesitant glances at the other and looking away when they think the other notices them staring. It is awkward and it is only broken when the chaos of the ambulance arriving forces them to take professional action.

The paramedic jumps out of the back with the I.V. bag in his hand while pulling the gurney out with him, "43 year old male, Arn Ismaren; MVC with large head lac; B.P. 152 over 94; he complained about chest pains."

Anakin and Padme followed along with the cart, asking all questions concerning the patient's head injury and chest pains. Arn was somewhat responsive but clearly had signs of head trauma and was clearly having chest pain from the way his hand gripped his shirt tight enough the knuckles were white. When they reached the trauma room the two of them set about running all the tests they needed. Anakin did a quick echo on his chest while Padme flashed a light in Arn's eyes to test pupillary response. Arn's eyes were not dilating properly. "I need to get him up to CT stat." Padme said. The residents in the room started to prep him to move but stopped when Anakin held his hand up.

"Hold up, he has a broken rib that made a small tear in his lung. We need to get him into an OR before it fully penetrates." He said, putting the scanner away.

"He has a head injury." Padme argued, "Which puts him at risk for a brain bleed."

"Moving him into the CT might be just enough to shift the rib enough to cause more damage to his lung." The two of them stared one another down as they both stood firm on their procedure. Anakin shook his head; "We're taking him to the OR now."

"You can't do that!"

"The hell I can't!" Anakin argued, rounding on her and staring down at her, "I'm the head of cardiothoracic and I think the risk to his breathing is too much of a risk to get scans. We're doing it my way."

Padme's eyes widen. He's the new head of cardio? Of course he would be, it would be just her luck that this was the situation. And as difficult as the situation is, she needs to do everything she can to save this man, "There is a risk of death no matter what we do," Padme said in a rushed whisper to Anakin, "But please, one CT is all I need. If it's a tumor, or a burst aneurism, or if there is swelling, I need to know where it is and how much I need to retract." Padme paused and saw that he was not swaying in his decision, reaching out she grabbed his arm, "One scan." She insisted. "If you don't and he has an aneurism or a tumor everything you do in that OR might be wasted." The gurney was still sitting there while the residents were waiting to see what they were going to do.

Anakin shook his head, "Fine, take him up for a head CT." The residents started to move the gurney to the elevator. Anakin looked back down at Padme, holding up his index finger "One scan." He said, "I can't waste any more time."

"Neither can I." Padme replied.

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The CT showed that Arn had a massive aneurism that burst which resulted in the lack of pupillary response. It could also have been the cause of the crash as well- bursting at just the right moment to trigger the seizure that crashed his car. They quickly rushed him into surgery to repair his lungs and to stop the bleeding in his brain.

Anakin and Padme began scrubbing in with three sinks between them as they prepped. Anakin let out a small sigh as they finished up, "You're not happy to see me, are you?" He asks, turning his head to watch her finish."

"What makes you say that?"

Anakin gives a shrug, "You just seem a bit tense around me."

Padme shakes her head, "It's not that I'm not happy to see you… more surprised, I guess. I never thought I'd see you again after…" Padme's voice trails off and Anakin nods his head, knowing full well what she is referring to.

"I understand." He said as he sidestepped past her and into the sterile OR room. The scrub nurses held out the surgical gowns and tied them on while helping them into their gloves. Both surgeons took their places with Padme standing over the patient's head and Anakin standing on the left side of the patient. To Padme's right Ahsoka scrubbed in with her ready to help however she can. Across from Anakin stood another resident who would assist him. Anakin glanced her way once before holding his hand out to the scrub nurse, "Ten blade," He called as he began the surgery.

Padme looked over to her scrub nurse," "Eleven blade." And her surgery begins as well.

The OR was unusually quiet as they worked. During most surgeries, the surgeons exchanged small talk to keep spirits up and to help time pass by faster. Ahsoka hated the silence and she could tell there was tension between Dr. Amidala and the new head of cardio. "So…" She began, hopping that maybe the tension would go away if they started talking, "I take it this isn't the first surgery you two have done together, is it?" She asked.

"Actually, it is." Padme answered, "I've been a surgeon much longer than he has, isn't that right, Dr. Skywalker." Padme said.

Anakin's shoulders stiffened for a moment but he continued working. "Perhaps. But I believe I've logged more surgery hours than you."

"I doubt that." Padme said, her eyes never leaving the brain in front of her.

Anakin let out a small chuckle, "I am fairly certain that I have." He said with confidence. Looking up from his work his gaze met Ahsoka's, "What's your name?"

"Ahsoka Tano. I'm just an intern." She answered.

"And just what do you do as an intern?" He asked.

Ahsoka furrowed her brow at the question, "What all other interns do, I guess. Pre-ops, labs, watching and learning, and a lot of paperwork."

Anakin lets out a small laugh, "My first year, I did so many surgeries back to back I couldn't feel my fingers for days. I lost track of how many operations I did and what they were for." He looked up from his work to meet Ahsoka's eyes; "I had a pretty rough crash course for my intern year."

Ahsoka raised her brow at his claim, "And what hospital was that?"

"Military hospital." He said, "They train you harder than anywhere else because they need surgeons who are able to think fast under pressure and who can do surgery with limited supplies."

"Did you really trache a guy with a straw?" Ahsoak couldn't help the question; it was something everyone had been talking about, that and using a clipboard as a scalpel.

Anakin laughed, "Wow Snips, way to lead into a question." He said. Ahsoka furrowed her brow at the name but said nothing as she watched what Dr. Amidala was doing in the patient's frontal lobe, "But to answer your question; yes, I did."

Both Padme and Ahsoka raised their heads slightly, both shocked by the statement, "You have got to tell me about that!" Ahsoka said with eager enthusiasm.

"Maybe some other time, Snips. Maybe tomorrow when I have you on my service." Anakin smiled behind his mask.

"Really? You want me on cardio?"

Anakin shrugged, "Why not? You're an intern, and this is a teaching hospital. Better to try out all the specialties while you can. Besides, do you really want to clip aneurisms for the rest of your career?" Padme scoffed. He was making fun of her like he always has. She knew he was joking, but she wasn't in the mood to play along.

"So, how is your mother?" Padme decided to ask as the room got quiet again and to take control of the conversation before he can.

Anakin is silent longer than she expected before he answered, "She's well…" He said simply, "She got married. I have a stepbrother now, Owen. He works on my stepfather's farm."

Padme was surprised, "Wow, tell her congrats for me, I'm happy for her." She said. Anakin was much too silent for it to be normal but he quickly went back to normal after Ahsoka switched to conversation back to Anakin and started asking questions about some of the stories she heard about him. He seemed all too happy to change the subject.

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After eight hours standing in an OR, Padme was beat. She ran her head over her scrub cap covered head as she took a deep breath. Anakin sat on one of the benches by the OR in a similar state. Now that things had calmed down, both seemed a little more relaxed.

"Sorry about earlier," Anakin said as he came to stand in front of her, "I know I was a bit of an ass before surgery."

Padme looked up at him and smiled at his scrub cap that was patterned with airplanes. He had always been fascinated with planes she remembered, "It's alright." She said, "I was also an ass. So I guess we're even." She said with a laugh.

Anakin smirked at her and took a chance to step slightly closer to her, "You know, it's been a long day, I'm not on call, and I know you're not either… wanna go get a drink with me? As friends."

Padme raised a brow at him, "Just friends?"

"Alright, as friends who just happened to have seen each other naked on multiple occasions and who have had sex on just as many occasions."

She rolled her eyes at him. Of course he would say something like that. "I'll have to pass." She said, "I have a date with my pillow, I'll be remiss if I miss it."

"Would he mind if you brought a plus one?"

Padme stared at him to gage how serious he was. The smile on his face could either be his joking face or his flirting face, but she couldn't tell. She shook her head. "In your dreams, Ani." She said as she turned and left.

"It's always a beautiful dream with you." She heard him answer.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! WOW! The excitement I got for this story was so unexpected I could hardly believe it! As a special one-time thank you for the support, here is the next chapter! Which is conveniently posted on the same day as the Season 12 finale of Grey's Anatomy.

Thank you for the support, and Enjoy!

-DFD

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Chapter 2

By the time Padme walked through the front door of her apartment it was well past midnight. With a loud groan, she kicked off her shoes and slowly made her way to the bed, which she was more than happy to fall face-first into. She buried her head in the pillow eager to get what little sleep she could before she had to go back to work in six hours. Since her residency ended she was beyond relieved her nightshift days were over. She wasn't sure how she did it, going from the night shift straight into morning rounds for four years; but she did. And now she can spend her nights at home in bed and only leaving it if the interns are killing someone.

As she turned to rest more comfortably on her side, she found that her thoughts were drifting back to her early days of residency. It wouldn't have been that bad, if those memories didn't have to do with the one cardiothoracic surgeon she didn't want to think about right now. Padme groaned as she remembered reuiniting with him after not seeing him for ten years. They first met when he was nine and she was fourteen. Padme's family vacation had gone terribly wrong when the car broke down. Anakin lived with his mother in the trailer park across from the mechanics shop and they had graciously let them spend the night. He had been so sweet it was almost sad to leave in the morning, but they exchanged email and wrote to each other once every few weeks or so for a couple years. When the emails stopped it wasn't really surprising. They had only met once and she was sure they both had more important things to do than talk to one other. She never thought she would see that boy again.

But she did. When they were reunited ten years later he had ended up in the ER after his right hand was almost cut off. She was about halfway through her intern year at Naboo General Hospital by this point. He was just as surprised as she was to have run into each other. Anakin had joked about the wound saying it was just a scratch, but clearly it wasn't. Anakin's friend and roommate, Obi-Wan, or Ben as most people called him; told her that he had gotten in a fight with someone named Dooku who pulled a knife on him. Either way, Anakin needed surgery so they could avoid amputating the limb. He stayed in the hospital a few extra days after as a precaution and in that time Padme and Anakin got caught up and enjoyed the other's company. He told her he was in his second year of medical school and hopped to start residency after the next year. She told him about her hectic schedule with being an intern and how she barely has time to breathe. It was the first time in a long time she really felt like Padme and not just Dr. Amidala.

The day he was released was the start of a new page in both their lives. When she brought the discharge papers for him to sign, he asked her out, and she surprised herself by saying yes. Between his classes and her almost impossible schedule, they started dating. It wasn't always ideal with her sometimes being called back to the hospital as often as she was, which sometimes resulted going to work pantieless or sleep deprived. But it was worth it. And for the times when there were no interruptions, they were perfect; just the two of them acting like young love-struck teenagers. She would have traded everything for those moments to last. And at one point she thought she would always have them. But they were not meant to last.

Padme shook her head to rid herself of the memories. It was in the past and now was not the time to cry over something as trivial as a young love. She had to go to sleep now so she is well rested tomorrow. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she forced thoughts of Anakin out of her head. She forced herself to think about anything else- her surgeries for tomorrow, her nieces, Grey's Anatomy- which she thought was ridiculous and unrealistic portrayal of a surgical residency- anything. Eventually she is able to finally sleep. But in the back of her mind she asks herself how is she going to deal with Anakin tomorrow?

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A cup of coffee is placed next to her on the counter at the nurse's station, "You look like shit." The distinct baritone voice of Anakin says as he comes to lean against the counter, his own cup of coffee in his hands.

Padme rolls her eyes and looks up from her chart, "That's something every girl wants to hear in the morning." She said sarcastically.

Anakin let out a light laugh in response, "Well, you know I've always had a way with words." He joked. They both knew he was far from a wordsmith, "Anyway, figured you could use a little pick-me-up: vanilla latte with a shot of hazelnut." Padme looks down at the hot drink, surprised he remembered her favorite coffee, "It's Starbucks," He said in a small singsong voice, turning the cup around so she could see the green logo.

"Wow, big spender."

"I know; they cost an arm and a leg for the finest bean water." He said dramatically.

She tries to roll her eyes at him but she can't help the small smile that graces her lips. "You're a dork." She says, picking up the cup and walking away.

"I will always be your dork though," He said to her retreating back.

He is flirting with her. Why is he flirting with her? After everything, why? She knows he has always had feelings for her since the moment they met. He even proclaimed he would marry her someday not even an hour after meeting her. But after everything, she can't for the life of her understand what he hopes to gain by playing this game. Padme walks down the hall to visit her first pre-op of the day. Dorme comes running up along side her.

"Hey, when did you have time to stop at Starbucks?" She asked, "That line is just horrible in the morning."

Padme raises the cup up, "Oh, yeah, Anakin got it for me."

Dorme raised a brow, "Really?" she said, her lips curling into a devilish smile.

"Don't." Padme scolded, pointing a finger at her, "There is nothing going on between us. And nothing will. Last time we were… impulsive, naïve, and practically children."

"Padme, you were twenty-four! That is hardly a child!" Out of all her friends at Coruscant Memorial Hospital, Dorme is the only one who knows anything about her relationship with Anakin. After her residency at Naboo General finished and she accepted her fellowship at Coruscant Memorial, she had practically begged her for the details her texts avoided.

"Point is, last time we both got hurt and I'm not looking for that to happen again. I'm not even looking for a relationship." Padme replied.

Dorme shook her head, "And that is why you will fall head over heels for him again."

She glares at her, "I will do no such thing."

"Yes you will. You will fall for that beautiful piece of ass and go crawling back on your knees begging him to… fuck you into the couch until you forg-"

"Dorme!" Padme could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. At once she regretted ever telling her anything about that incident.

"Alright fine!" Dorme conceded with a smile, "But I know it will happen. Or at the very least, you'll beg him to forgive you for Clovis." Padme sighed and Dorme continued, "I know you regret what happened and he left before you guys could fix things."

"I know." Padme said. Her gaze falls the floor.

Dorme wraps an arm around her shoulders, "Hey, come on, if he's buying you coffee, he can't be that mad at you still, can he?"

She shakes her head and raises her eyes to meet hers, "He's doing more than just buying me coffee, he's flirting with me- or at least I think he is." Padme lets out a light laugh, "I mean, who says 'I will always be your dork' and mean that totally platonically?"

"Wow. Three years and he still isn't subtle about how much he likes you."

"Dorme! This is serious!" Padme scolds, "Is he flirting? Is he joking? You know how hard he is to read sometimes."

Dorme laughs, "Oh, Padme, its obvious he still has feelings for you!"

Padme shakes her head, "I will not give into him again."

"Would it really be that bad if you did?" She asked as they came to stop in front of a patient's room, "You're right that you were both young and impulsive. But it's been three years! You've both lived and learned, would it really be that bad if something happened?" Dorme gripped Padme's shoulder tightly, "Don't you remember how happy you were back then? You told me no one ever made you feel as good as he could. And when it ended you were so miserable. Honestly you were like that smelly old guy that would ask if he was going to die today." They both cringed as they remembered that particular patient. "Do yourself a favor and just let things happen. Don't force some romance to happen, and don't push him away again." She suggested, "Let what happens, happen." Dorme gave her a smile before continuing walking down the hall.

Padme took a moment to think about what Dorme said. Maybe she was right, but maybe she was wrong. If she does as she says, they risk getting hurt again. And she isn't sure if she can handle that again. On the bright side they are in different specialties so they shouldn't have too many run-ins in a normal day. For now, she can't worry about that. With a deep breath and a glance down at the tablet displaying her patient's chart, she composed herself before entering the room with a smile, "Hello Mrs. Jandi, I am Dr. Amidala, let's go over your surgery."

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Anakin stared at the spot Padme stood mere moments before for several seconds before he shook his head and grabbed a tablet to pull up his own charts. If he is being honest with himself, he didn't even know he was going to flirt with her, it just sort of happened and it felt way to natural not to. He didn't even know she worked here until he looked up the hospital when he was looking for a job. When he searched the hospital name, he saw she as one of the neurosurgeons and despite being listed under the name 'Amidala' he knew it was her. He had always known her as Padme Naberrie. So seeing her under a different name obviously got him curious; had she gotten remarried? His curiosity got so bad he actually Googled her and found her Facebook page. No husband was listed, no boyfriend- nothing. Her pictures were mostly of work colleagues, her family- mostly her nieces, Ryoo and Pooja. She was single. It took a while for the thought to sink in and to understand what that means. For one, it meant that that bastard wasn't good enough for her. For another, there was hope that they could get some closure. He wasn't sure she would want to talk to him, but he had to hope she would. How could he not? She will always be the only woman he could ever love. And hope was something he has had so little of lately he needs to hope just one good thing could happen.

He reads through the chart as he finishes his coffee with a smile and leaves for the patient's room. Nothing beats an early heat transplant. As he approaches the room he sees Ahsoka standing outside of the room, "Good morning Snips!" He greets.

Ahsoka wrinkles her nose at the name, "Why do you call me that?" She asks.

Anakin shrugs his shoulders, "'Cause it suits you." He says with a grin.

"In that case I'll just call you SkyGuy."

"What?" That's a name he's never heard before. He hasn't been here that long but he knows there are some that call him 'General' or 'G.I. Joe' behind his back. But SkyGuy is definitely unique.

Ahsoka shrugs, "It suits you."

Anakin throws his head back and laughs. "If you're any good at cardio, I might just have to keep you around." He says, gesturing with his head for her to enter the room with him. Ahsoka gives him the basic rundown for the case: 41-year-old male has been on the transplant list for several days now. He suffers from heart disease and waited for months before he got a new one but unfortunately his body rejected the heart so he has been waiting for a new one. Anakin asks Ahsoka to explain how this heart transplant works, which she answered with only one minor error; better than most would answer though, so he will let her scrub in with him.

Ahsoka follows Anakin through all of his pre-ops and answers all the questions he throws at her; from how to diagnose a condition to how to proceed with a specific surgery or what to monitor; she answered them all to the best of her ability. Eventually, the time for the heart transplant came and she knows she should go to finish charting the patients as she normally does with the other attendings but as she turned to go do that, he stopped her.

"And just where do you think you're going?" He asked; his brow was slightly raised.

"Uh, scut?"

Anakin shook his head, "You're going to throw away a heart transplant just to do paperwork?" Ahsoka is speechless; he wants her to help on a heart transplant? She's just an intern. Anakin lets out a sigh, "But I guess if you don't want it, I can always find someone else-"

"No!" She shouted too quickly, "I mean, I would love to do a heart surgery, it's just… I'm an intern…"

He gave her a blank look, "Yes, and this is a teaching hospital. And I am your teacher. And I say not only will you be scrubbing in, but you will do more than just retract and whatever Dr. Amidala normally has you do."

Ahsoka couldn't help the smile that crossed her face, "You mean… I can actually do something?"

"Of course! What kind of surgeon just stands there and does nothing?" Anakin flashes her a smirk "follow me." He says as he leads her to the OR.

Standing in the OR getting ready for her first cardio surgery is beyond thrilling. Ahsoka looks to her right to look up at Dr. Skywalker. She can't help but smile, in her year there had only been one intern to be given the chance to help in a surgery and he choked during the procedure. Ahsoka swore she would not make that mistake.

Anakin looked down at Ahsoka before stepping back, "Why don't you make the first cut." He says. He is smiling behind his mask, she is sure of it.

"Really?" He nods his head and Ahsoka moved closer to the patient. Looking down at the chest she shifts her weight once or twice before looking to the scrub nurse, "Ten blade." She ordered and leaning over the body she presses the blade into the chest.

Anakin watches over her shoulder as she makes the first cut. He helps walk her through how to make the opening and how to spread the ribs so they can get at the heart. When it is finally visible he takes over. The new transplant heart is prepped and in a matter of minutes the old one is cut out and replaced with the new one. Ahsoka watches as he applies to sutures with precision only experience can get. Anakin orders the patient to be taken off bypass and they wait for blood to start to circulate through the organ. "Come on." He whispers, giving the heart a gentle poke. When the heart monitor starts to beep erratically signaling V-fib he lets out a curse under his breath, "Paddles." He orders, taking the metal rods in in both hands and places them on either side of the heart, "Charge to ten. Clear." With a slight jolt the heart is filled with electricity before it slowly starts to normalize.

"That is so cool." Ahsoka says. With the heart now stable, Anakin instructs her in closing the patient up. She cannot help the smile on her face when they leave the OR. She has never felt such a high before. Not only did she get the chance to perform a surgery, she held a heart in her hand. A heart- one of the most complex organs in the body- the organ responsible for pumping blood to every part of the body; she held it in her hands. The cloud she is on right now is indescribable. She will have to strongly consider specializing in cardiothoracics from now on.

[][][][]

Padme wiped her brow with the back of her hand when she left her surgery. She closed her eyes to compose herself as the gurney came out the other door, the sheet pulled over the patient's head. She lost him. It was suppose to be a simple aneurism clip. But it burst before she could chip it and it bled out too quickly. When she looked up she saw Anakin apparently just got out of surgery as well. By the look on his face and how excited Ahsoka was she knew their surgery went much better than hers.

Ahsoka walked over to her, the smile on her face would have been contagious if she hadn't been upset about her loss. "Dr. Amidala." Ahsoka greeted.

"Ahsoka, I take it your surgery with Dr. Skywalker went well."

The girl nodded her head enthusiastically, "Very well, he let me make the first cut and hold the old heart. It was amazing!"

Padme raised her brow, "Not many attendings let interns help like that." She pointed out.

"I know! I thought I was just going to do scut or stand and hold things but I actually did it! And it was amazing!" Ahsoka folded her arms behind her back and cleared her throat, "And uh, how did your surgery go?"

Padme shook her head, "Burst aneurism. There was nothing I could do."

"I'm sorry." Ahsoka looked back over at Anakin who was finishing the final notes on the patient's chart, "I uh, I should probably see if he wants me to talk to the family."

"Yes, you should." Padme gave the girl a smile as she left. Padme let out a long sigh as she went to sit on one of the benches. If there was only one thing she hated about her job, it's the number of patients she loses. Neurosurgery has one of the highest mortality rates in the field. On average she loses twenty percent of patients every year. She is used to losing patients and most times she is able to work past it but sometimes it just feels like she should have been able to do more.

On the other side of the bench facing the opposite way, she sees Anakin had sat down. "You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She said, looking up long enough to notice Ahsoka had left, most likely to tell the heart transplant family about the operation.

Anakin stared at her for several long minutes. He took in how she rested her elbows on her knees and how her hands folded over her floral patterned scrub cap. With a sigh, he rested his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Padme shook her head, "What are you doing?" She asked. She had to know, right now what his intentions are with her. She would have just let things play out like Dorme suggested but she is upset right now and she has to tell someone that their family member is dead and she knows dealing with this uncertainty is just too much for her to have everyday for who knows how long.

Anakin furrows his brow, "You just lost a patient. I'm trying to be comforting." He said as though it were the simplest answer in the world.

Padme shook her head again and shifted to face him, causing his hand to drop, "No, that's not what I mean." She said, "Why are you here? Of all places, why here? And why are you… buying me my favorite coffee, and flirting? I just- I want- no, I need to know what exactly you want from me."

Anakin is silent for a while but eventually he gives a shrug, "I love you." He said simply, "I didn't come back for you, I came back because I needed to be closer to home." He pauses for several moments and she is uncertain what she should say, "I can't help that I still feel something for you," he says with a shake of his head.

She looked away from him, "You shouldn't." She said, "We only end up hurting each other in the end."

Anakin gave another shrug, "You're worth it." He said, "I want you. But more importantly I want you to want me. And I don't mean to quote that lame 90's song that is always in those stupid romcoms you made us watch." He said with a smile, "But if you don't want me, I'll understand. I'll back off this time if you tell me to."

Padme let out a sigh; she knew exactly what he was referring to. When her ex-boyfriend Clovis was in town he wanted to meet up with her and she had invited him over when Anakin had class. The two of them talked and caught up since they hadn't seen each other since college. Clovis didn't know she had gotten married, he was under the impression she was still single. So when he leaned in for a kiss, she had been caught so off guard she couldn't stop it. To make matters worse, Anakin came home at that point. "There were more problems than just your overprotectiveness." She pointed out, "We rushed into things too fast. We didn't trust one another. It wasn't meant to work."

He shook his head, "Then lets actually take the time to work that stuff out. From what I can tell Clovis isn't in the picture so we can at least try. What's the harm?"

"I don't want to get hurt again."

"Neither do I." He said, reaching forward for her cheek, gently turning her head to face him, "But I'm willing if you are."

Padme pulled away, and cleared her throat; "I have to go talk to my patient's family." She said, not wanting to talk about this any more. Rushing to her feet she left quickly. Now she really needed to talk to someone, and maybe Dorme isn't the best person for the job.


	3. Chapter 3

Surprise! I wanted to get the next chapter for Visions of the Future posted but instead I did this one. And just a heads up: if you think things are moving too fast, just wait. They aren't moving nearly as fast as you think. I have a good ten chapters planned out so far, trust me they are taking their sweet, sweet time getting to the end.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 3

Anakin knew he had said too much as he watched Padme leave. He knew he had overstepped from how flustered she was about his antics. He was moving too fast. He had barely given her any time to adjust to being around him again and he goes off and tells her he still loves her. Padme had only ever been impulsive two times when they had been together- the first when she agreed to go out with him, and the second when he asked her to marry him. With everything else she had always been logical- well planned but prepared for almost anything. And clearly she was not prepared to see him again so she has yet to figure out where he stood in her plans. She needed space to adjust, time to figure things out and he needed to wait for her to come to him. At the very least he knew she would come to him if only to tell him she wasn't interested, but that was something that needed to happen if it did. Waiting would not be easy for him. Besides having the opportunity to hold a heart in his hand everyday, seeing her was the only other thing he looked forward to. Talking to her, spending time with her- it helped him forget the real reason he came home. What she doesn't realize- what no one realizes is that he hasn't really gone home since he started working. He sleeps in the on-call rooms and showers in the attendings' lounge bathrooms. Its not because he doesn't have a home- he does, he just doesn't stay there for long. The longest he stayed at home was three hours and that was only the day before he started work and only because he was tired from the long flight and needed to sleep somewhere.

He'll survive. He can back off and give Padme all the space she needs. He has survived worse and saved lives in the process, so this should be easy, right? Give her enough time, let her adjust to him being here, then let her adjust to the idea that they might be able to work this time. Then maybe she will say yes when he asks her out for a drink… maybe he needs a hobby.

[][][][]

On Padme's day off she takes the time to travel up to visit her sister in the suburbs. She doesn't do this nearly enough, she loves to spend time with her nieces but her job is often so demanding she barely finds the time. Most of her days off, she spends them in her pajamas in bed sleeping, reading a medical journal or, very rarely, actually watching TV. She admits it; her life outside of work is boring. But today is one of the extremely rare exceptions: she needs to talk to her sister.

Padme pulls into the driveway and she sees her nieces in the window sitting on the back of the couch waiting for her. When she gets out she sends them a little wave that results in them jumping off and running for the door. Padme smiles as the door burst open and the two girls come running at her. She gets on her knees to embrace the two girls in a tight hug, the three of them laughing as it happens. Padme gets to her feet when she sees her sister Sola walking up to her.

"Good to see you, little sis!" She greets, hugging her just as tightly as the girls had, "When you said you were coming up, I found that hard to believe for a moment!" She said, "Come on." She says leading them inside.

Sola has a beautiful home. The walls are lined with pictures of the family- pictures from when they were children, pictures of their parents, her wedding, and her children at various stages of life. There were also pictures of buildings her husband Darred had designed. Padme spent time entertaining her nieces until they decided to run off and play their own games, finally leaving the adults to talk.

"So why did you decide to come up here?" Sola asked as they settled to sitting at the counter island, a cup of tea in front of both women.

Padme let out the sigh she has been holding in all day, "Anakin's back."

Sola's eyes widen, "Hell no!" She argues, "The guy you married after a week?" Padme nods her head, slightly embarrassed by that. "What does he want?"

She sighs, "He's working at the hospital now and while he said he wasn't back for me, he did say that he still… wants me."

Sola shakes her head adamantly, "No. Absolutely not! That boy has caused enough problems!"

Padme rolls her eyes, "You know he wasn't that bad, Sola." She argued, "Besides some of it was my fault too, remember?"

Her sister scoffs, "True, but 'nice guys' don't convince you to get married without telling the family then just show up one day and say 'guess what! I married your sister!' You're right, Padme he's a really nice guy."

Padme resists the urge to slam her head on the marble counter, "Go on, lecture me on my impulsive marriage again why don't you!" She says, throwing her hands in the air, "Its not like you and dad haven't reminded me time and time again how stupid it was. But that is not why I'm here."

"Then what did you need to talk about then?" Sola asked. Padme looks away from her sister, unsure what exactly she should say. Sola's eyes widen, "Please don't tell me you still have feelings for him."

Padme blushes, "I-I don't know…"

Her sister lets her hands drop hard onto the counter, "You do still have feelings for him." She shakes her head, "You do remember he beat the crap out of Clovis just because he looked at you, right?"

"He was doing more than just looking." Padme reminded her, "But please, can you just shut up and let me speak?" Sola takes a deep breath but nods her head as she folds her arms on the counter, willing to wait for her to finish talking. "Anakin is back." Padme repeats, "He says he didn't come back for me, but that he does still have feelings for me. He's been flirting with me, and I really don't know what to do anymore." Padme pauses and takes a breath, "Dorme thinks I should just let things happen-"

"Well you're certainly not going to listen to Dorme of all people," Sola interrupted, "You know she gets her advise from romance novels and chick flicks."

"-But I'm not sure its such a good idea…" Padme continued, ignoring Sola's comment about Dorme, "He was the first guy who made me feel… alive, he made me feel wanted, and… sexy." Padme lets out a small sigh, "I just… I don't know what to do, Sola." She confessed, "I can't deny there is… some level of attraction between us, but I don't want to rush into this again."

"You don't want to get hurt again." Sola said with a sigh. Padme's family did not approve of Anakin, most likely because they married after only a week. It was very impulsive of both of them but it had felt so right- like destiny. But it wasn't. When Anakin saw Clovis kissing her he showed just how jealous he could get and it ended up hurting them both in the end.

Sola had thought after he left it would be the last they saw of him… Apparently not as now here he was, in her sister's life once more. But what should she say to her now? "Maybe he's changed." Sola started, she had to start optimistic, if only for Padme's sake, besides it's been three years and no one stays the same forever. "But maybe he didn't change." She added, not wanting to leave anything to chance, "If I were you… I think I'd keep my distance, at least for now. Do your job, save lives, get a boyfriend who isn't Anakin and test to see if what you feel for him is real attraction or just lust." Sola clears her throat, "Even I can't deny he's cute." She admitted.

[][][][]

The day after talking with Sola Padme was getting ready to go to work. She had spent the better part of her day off thinking about what she was going to do about Anakin. There was no way she could avoid him forever so much like with surgery, she needed a plan. Right now it was just to keep things professional. That means no small talk, no coffee, no flirting. Normally it would be easier said than done, but Anakin seems to have implemented the same plan, which was very surprising. When she requested a cardio consult, he sent one of the cardio fellows under him to help. When he was finishing his charts if he saw her he didn't speak to her.

The trend continued for several days and it quickly became apparent what he was doing. He was waiting for her to make a move. He had stuck his neck out by telling her what he felt; now it was her turn to do something, or nothing. It was nice, very professional and very unlike the Anakin that left three years ago. Dorme argued they were being childish by pretending there was nothing, but she just wants to win the bet everyone seems to have about them getting together. Honestly, its like they don't have lives to save with how much everyone worries about her relationship.

About two weeks after starting her plan to avoid Anakin, she encountered the first problem with her professionalism plan. She had just finished work and as exhausted but also in desperate need of a drink. It had been a long day and her surgery on a little boy's spine resulted in the kid being paralyzed from the waist down. Walking into the bar, she ordered a glass of blossom wine and took a seat at the bar near the corner. Anakin sat a few seats down from her and when their eyes met he gave her a small smile before he looked back down at his drink. Over the course of the next ten minutes both of them gave the other subtle glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. They were both aware of the other's gaze but neither made a move to say anything. What exactly would they talk about? Work? That was too depressing tonight for Padme. Taking the chance to look at him again she noticed how he was slouched against the bar and how his head bobbed ever so slightly. She knew him well enough to know he had a couple more drinks than her.

With a sigh, she shifted down so she sat kitty corner from him. "You okay?" She asked.

He looked up and smiled at her again, "Just fine," He said, downing his drink in one gulp. He takes the time to look her up and down and takes note of her white shirt with blue stripes and jeans, "think this is the first time I've seen you without scrubs since I got here." He commented.

"Same goes for you." She said gesturing to his green shirt with a zip-up sweater. Padme shifted in her seat, they've been playing this game for two weeks now; she should be fine having a social conversation with him, he isn't too drunk yet, she knows what he looks like when he is, right now he's just a little tipsy. "How was your day?" Padme kicked herself for starting the conversation she didn't want to have.

Anakin gives a laugh at her attempt at small talk, "Um, alright I guess." He said, "Two of my patients died, and one is in a coma." He said with a shrug, "You?"

Padme shook her head, "One is brain dead, two in a coma, one paralyzed."

He nodded his head and let the conversation drop. Looking down at his empty class he spins the ice around a few times, "I need a hobby." He says.

"What?"

"A hobby." He repeated, "I don't really do much besides work and it's starting to get to me."

Padme furrows her brow, "And what exactly do you plan to do?"

He shrugs, "I don't know, maybe learn how to cook?"

Padme almost chokes on her wine, "Why? What possessed you to do something so… not you?" She asked.

"Well, it's a good skill to have." He starts, "And it's not like you were ever any good at it-"

"That's not fair," She argued, "I never really had a lot of time to cook when I was a resident."

Anakin rolls his eyes, "Point is it's better than what I currently do in my free time."

"Don't you normally tinker? What about your bike?" Padme remembered his motorcycle very well. When they were together it was their preferred mode of transportation just because she could be pressed right up against him.

He scratches the back of his neck, "I still have the bike… I just need something else to takes my mind off… stuff."

"You mean me, don't you?" She asks. He waves the bartender over for another scotch and orders Padme another glass of wine.

He takes a sip of his drink, "Partly," He admits, "Other part is… personal." Padme wants to ask what he means but from how tense his shoulders are, she can tell now is not the time to ask about it. "Do you think we would have still gotten together if we weren't surgeons?" He suddenly asks. The question is random and not at all what she expected. "I've asked myself that for awhile now. And I still don't know the answer. I also wonder if that were the case, would we still be together?"

Padme opens her mouth to answer and she hesitates for a moment, "I don't know," She says, "I honestly have no idea." She pauses a moment, "If you weren't a surgeon, what would you do?"

He gives a shrug, "Maybe I'd still be working at that mechanics shop across from the trailer park." He said, "But you know the reason I even went to college was to get out of that mess… What about you?"

Padme smiled, "Maybe I'd go into civil service like my parents. Working to help the less fortunate, maybe politics."

Anakin lets out a laugh, "You as a politician? I don't think so. You're too hardcore for that line of work."

She can't help but smile at his words, maybe it's the alcohol but she is enjoying this. If she were thinking more clearly, she might have remembered her sister's suggestion to avoid him and how she said her attraction might very well just be lust, but she can't help it. And when he looks at her the way he does, with his deep blue eyes staring straight into hers as if she's the only person in the world, she can't resist him. Leaning forward she presses her lips to his. He doesn't respond for several seconds as she molds her mouth to his, but when her tongue brushes against his lips, he starts to respond with eager enthusiasm. He brings his hand to cup her cheek while hers fist into the fabric of his sweater. It's the alcohol, she concludes. The kiss is sloppy and neither one of them are thinking clearly and when it breaks and they stare at one another, they know they are both lost.

"I have a date with my pillow." She says, repeating the same thing she told him after their first surgery.

Anakin gives her a smirk, "Would he mind if you brought a plus one?"

Padme grips the thick hair on the back of his head, "No." She says, pulling him into a lust filled kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

Surprise! I am on a roll this week! Three stories updated in one week! And I plan to do more very soon! I think this chapter serves more to get a better feel for the surgical life than actual plot stuff, but I have a lot of good things drafted for chapter 5 and 6!

And before you start, I'd just like to say I'm sorry how I start this chapter. I'll make it up to you, I promise!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 4

Both of them knew they were too tipsy to drive to her apartment so they hailed a cab to take them back. The entire ten-minute trip was nerve racking. Anakin had his arm wrapped around her shoulder while her hand rested on his thigh. The way his hand ghosted along her bicep left goose bumps in their wake and she can feel the beginnings of the ache between her legs that she had not felt in a long time. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his jeans and she felt the muscles in his leg tighten in anticipation.

The trip felt longer than ten minutes by the time they reached her apartment and the elevator ride was far too slow. They stood holding hands, their fingers brushing gently while they fidgeted waiting for the doors to open. When the elevator finally stopped on her floor they could not get out fast enough. Stumbling down the hall she fumbled with her keys to open the door before grabbing his shirt and pulling him in. The door slammed loudly behind him but she didn't care. Pressing her lips to his she forced her tongue into his mouth and he moaned into her mouth. His hands held her hips against his, gently caressing them before he hunched over slightly to grab the backs of her thighs before lifting her up. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and she pressed herself against his hardening length, eliciting a moan from both of them. Padme brought her arms to his hair and gripped the curls tightly. When he broke the kiss she took the opportunity to press kisses along his jaw while he looked around the space for the door leading to the bedroom.

Making his way to the room, he pressed kisses along her throat as she did the same to him. Pushing the door open he carried her over to the bed before setting her down on it. But with her hands and legs still wrapped around him he had no choice but to go down with her. His weight was heavy, but in a good way. She felt his hands on her sides and his lips on her throat and it felt divine. She wanted to feel more of him. Gripping the neck of his shirt she started to pull it up and over his head. It got stuck part way over but they only giggled at the momentary lapse before they were hungrily kissing once more.

Her hands traced his chest, she could still remember most of the details of it but there were some changes to it over the years. Her brow furrowed as she traced over several small raised scars on his pectoral. Pushing him back she glanced down at where her hand was on his chest. Padme's eyes widened as she stared at what were obviously scars. The right pectoral her hand was resting on had six scars that looked to be from bullets. Trailing her and across to his left shoulder she found a scar most likely formed from a cut from a knife. Looking lower she found similar scars marring his abs. She counted eight more bullet scars and three long knife scars along his torso.

"Padme…" He said, trying to get her attention off of the scars, but she was persistent. Her fingers trailed over each one and she only looked up after he took her hands in his to make her stop. Her eyes still didn't meet his though, "Padme." He called again.

"Ani…" Her voice was strained and sounded as if she were fighting back tears, "You wouldn't have gone if we hadn't divorced, would you?" She asked.

Anakin shifted and rolled back onto his heels, pulling her to sit up with him. He let her hands go in favor of taking her chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look at him, "I know what your thinking," He starts, "this isn't your fault." He said, "I knew what I was getting into, I chose to go."

"But you wouldn't have gone if we stayed together." Padme said it more as a statement.

He stays silent, "None of this would have happened if I hadn't been such a jealous ass." He answered, "I shouldn't have done what I did. I shouldn't have got into that fight with Clovis the way I did. And I should have known that he meant nothing to you." He finally says before he pressed his forehead to hers, "I'm sorry."

He tried to lean in to kiss her again but she pulled back, shifting away from him and adjusting the collar of her shirt, "I can't." She said, "I'm sorry, I can't do this. Not like this. I'm sorry."

Anakin remains motionless for several moments, "Its okay," he says before he shifts to get off the bed, picking up his shirt and pulling it back on, "I'ts fine," He tries to reassure her he is not mad. "I'll… I'll see you at work." Anakin grabbed his sweater and backed out of her room.

Padme pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes when she heard the apartment door close. This was too much too fast. She had been drinking and it had made her act impulsively towards him and while she knew she would have let it happen- she had wanted it to happen- the memories of the divorce were just too painful to let it continue.

When Anakin had found Clovis kissing her, he went into a blind rage and attacked him. Clovis had fought back and the two of them refused to listen to her when she told them to stop. The fight only ended when Anakin punched him hard enough he slipped backwards and hit is head on the counter.

Padme let out a shaky breath as she remembered how terrified she had been. She had never seen Anakin like that before. She hadn't even known he was capable of such violence. Yet there it was, right in the middle of their kitchen. Fortunately Clovis decided not to press charges for assault. Unfortunately what happened formed a rift between her and Anakin, which ultimately lead to their divorce.

Her head was starting to hurt. Letting herself fall over onto her side, she closed her eyes and let a dreamless sleep consume her.

[][][][]

Anakin was frustrated when he left her apartment. He had been tempted to just tell her to shut up and kiss her until they forgot what they were talking about, and he knew she would have given in if he had… but that would have only made things worse for tomorrow and who knows how much longer. He would rather her say no before rather than regret what happens later anyway. He's still frustrated at having been so close and having it fall apart all because of the past. Again. Standing in the elevator had punched the wall of the thing enough times and hard enough his knuckles were bruised. Gripping his fingers in his hands he closed his eyes and braced himself against the wall until he reached the ground. She had to want him if things were going to get better. He needed to be calm. He needed to be patient and just let things play out as they were meant to. Nothing is meant to be easy. He just had to keep reminding himself that. It was just frustrating how quickly she can go from wanting him to pushing him away.

When the elevator doors finally opened he rushed out as quickly as he could. At some point during this anti-climactic visit it had started to rain and it was now a downpour on the city streets. Anakin didn't really care though. The more rain the better for him; it would help clear his head. Walking out he didn't call a cab or even put his sweater on. He started walking in the general direction of the hospital as if the rain wasn't coming down on him in buckets.

On foot the walk to the hospital is about thirty minutes, but Anakin took his time walking so it took him about an hour to get back. The staff still working in the hospital gave him strange looks when he walked in dripping wet but he didn't pay them much mind. He made his way to the third floor attendings lounge where he keeps a duffle bag of his street clothes hidden. It is a good thing most attendings don't have to work at night unless there is an emergency. Pulling the bag out of its hiding place he pulls out a grey tee shirt while stripping himself of the soaked green shirt.

"I thought I'd find you here." A familiar voice said.

Anakin turned sharply towards the man standing in the corner of the room, "What are you doing here?"

The man pushed himself off from the wall he was leaning against, "I think I should be asking you that." He said, "Your brother called. Said you haven't been home since you came back. What is going on?"

Anakin scoffed and pulled the shirt over his head while he undid his belt and pants, "He's not my brother." He says, "And why does it matter to you, Ben?" He asks, letting his soaked jeans fall and pulls on a pair of loose fitting sweats, "You were the one who told me not to worry about them, that I should just stay over there and do my job. You didn't care then, so why do you care now?"

Ben walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You've been drinking, haven't you?" Anakin nods his head, "What happened, tell me." Ben shifts so they are both sitting on the couch. Anakin is silent but Ben is persistent, "I will not let up until you talk to me, Anakin. I'll have the chief give me a job if I have to. Then you'll have no choice but to talk to me." With a heavy sigh, Anakin starts to tell Ben everything that happened and the man listens and waits patiently for him to finish.

[][][][]

Padme walked down the hall of the hospital in an almost zombie like state. She had barely slept at all last night. She desperately needed coffee to give her a little boost in the morning. The attendings lounge was mostly empty, only a few other surgeons were there getting ready. Standing by the coffee machine was a doctor she has not seen here before. As the man turned, Padme's eyes widened, "Ben?" She asked, her face breaking into a smile as the ginger man recognized her.

"Padme," He greeted, pulling her in for a hug, "I was hopping to run into you this morning." He said, flashing her a bright smile.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Ben gave a shrug, "Honestly, Anakin is why I'm here." He said, raising a hand to stop her questions, "Not for the reason you think. I'm not exactly the guy to ask about romance."

Padme furrowed her brow, "Then…" She tried to lure him into continuing and watched him let out a heavy sigh.

"I think you'd be better off asking him about that." He said, taking a sip of his coffee while his other hand is stuffed in the pocket of his white coat, "I hope you don't mind my asking…" he started, clearing his throat slightly, "But Anakin told me what happened last night." Padme felt the color rise to her cheeks and looked down slightly, "I'm just curious…" He takes another sip of his coffee, "You know he loves you. You know he regrets what happened. And you obviously still have feelings for him." Ben pauses as he lets the information sink in, "Like I said, I'm not someone to ask for relationship advice, but I'd say its fairly obvious what you should do, but are not doing." Ben gave a shrug before smiling, "I'll be seeing you, Doctor." He gave a nod of his head and walked away leaving Padme standing speechless.

"I seriously need coffee." She said with a groan as she started the machine.

[][][][]

Anakin stood in the x-ray room staring at the latest scans of his patient. Ahsoka stood next to him while explaining how to perform the surgery, "…so after we have suture the artery to the pulmonary vein, we take her off bypass and close." Ahsoka smiled as she finished going through the procedure.

"Good. And what do we monitor for in post-op?"

"Check for bleeding, monitor blood sugar, and blood flow and correct with medication."

The door to the room opened, pulling Ahsoka's attention to the ginger doctor.

"Ben." Anakin greeted without turning.

"Anakin." He returned; his eyes trained on the scans, "Coronary artery bypass graft?" He asked.

"Yup. And it's a big one."

Ben stroked his beard, as he looked the scans over, "Have you considered stenting?"

"Yeah, but the damage is too extensive. I'm concerned that stenting won't return the appropriate blood flow." Anakin scratched the back of his neck. The older man nodded his head, "Ahsoka, go and check on Mr. Habeca. If he is still unconscious, run labs, check for everything. I don't want to rule out anything." The intern nodded, taking the tablet as she left the room.

Ben waits until Ahsoka is gone before speaking again, "I saw Padme this morning." He watched as Anakin's shoulders tensed and waited for him to respond. When it was clear he wasn't going to respond he continued, "She cares about you." He said, "Put in a bit of my two-sense to be honest, but I could tell she still cares." Ben looked over to gage his reaction. Anakin's face was focused on the scans, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Ben let out a long sigh, "I know you're frustrated. But like you said, you just have to be patient. In the mean time, why don't you go home? Last I spoke with Shmi, she misses you."

Anakin shook his head, "Can't. I have this surgery to get through."

"I can do the surgery. You should go home."

Anakin stepped up to the light box displaying the scans; "I have a surgery to prep for." He said, pulling down the scans and storing then in a folder before leaving the room quickly. In truth, he doesn't have a surgery scheduled for a couple hours. Ben probably knows that, and he hopes he doesn't follow him to call him on it.

The beep from his pager goes off and he looked down to check. The ER is prepping for the arrival of patients from a massive accident on the highway. Passing the scans to a nurse at the nurse's station, Anakin starts running for the ER. In the hallway just before the ER there were several surgeons standing in front of the supply cart dawning gowns and gloves. Padme is among them.

"What do we know?" He asks, grabbing gloves himself.

She looks up at him and is silent a moment, as she tries to read him before realizing what they were here to do, "Over-turned tractor-trailer on the freeway. Eight car pileup."

Anakin rolls his neck, "Long day then."

The ER fills up quickly as gurney after gurney pass through the doors. In times like these, it's all hands on deck. All surgeons fill the role of trauma, and general surgeons and only work on their specialization when a patient is in dire need of it. Padme quickly takes a patient with a neck injury while Anakin takes a patient with severe burns to her face and a large laceration in her chest.

The female patient is responsive but not too concerned about herself. She keeps asking for her son. Anakin quickly checks the burns and the cut. The wound is jagged and is at least eight inches long and very deep. The lack of bleeding means that it very well might have missed arteries but it could also mean there is something still inside her blocking it. "Where is he? Where is Corran?" She asks.

"Ma'am, We'll get news of your son as soon as we know something." He said, leaning over so she could see him, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Miri. Miri Gallia."

"Okay, Miri. The burn unit is on its way, but I want to take you up to the OR to fix this cut in your chest, alright?" Miri gives a small nod and Anakin orders for an OR to be ready for them.

[][][][]

Padme's patient was a young boy named Tobbi. As far as she knew his parents had not been brought in yet but he was in dire need of surgery. His pupils are dilated and he is unresponsive. The chance of a brain bleed is large since the paramedic told her he had been unrestrained in the back seat of a car. As she ran through her exams the monitors started to beep erratically as Tobbi's eyes rolled back.

"Seizure." Padme called, pulling the patient towards her so he would lie on his side. The boy started to seize, foam formed at his mouth Padme counted the seconds since it started and it is too long, "I need five of lorazepam stat!" she called. The nurse beside her pulled out the required medication and injected it into Tobbi's IV. Slowly, the seizure stopped and he remained unconscious. She pulled his eye open to check for any signs of damage before ordering an MRI.

The scan showed a brain bleed and a clot between the frontal and parietal lobe. It explained his unresponsiveness as the frontal lobe controlled motor functions. If they wanted to prevent permanent damage they needed to operate immediately before he started to seize again.

[][][][]

Miri's chest wound was worse than he initially thought. There is a shard of metal debris cutting through one of her arteries causing her to bleed out into her chest cavity and her left lung. The jagged piece of metal cannot be removed easily because it will tear into more tissue as it leaves. He has two options: pull it out and repair the damage after, or try to operate around it and smooth it out as he goes. Both risk the patient bleeding out on the table. But the second option will most likely take longer to finish while at the same time ensuring no further damage is made when the metal is removed.

Anakin stood over her, his gaze shifting between the monitors displaying her vitals and the scans showing where the shard is located. He flexed his fingers as he weighed his options. Shaking his head, he decided. "Ten blade," The scrub nurse handed him the scalpel and he pressed it to the patient's flesh as he widened the cut before using the rib spreader to hold it open. Leaning over the incision he allowed the light from his headlamp to show him what was going on internally. He could see the arteries and the pierced lung as well as the black piece of metal protruding from the flesh. Reaching down, he allowed his fingertips to touch the jagged piece, and gently trailed his hand along it, careful not to shift it. He had to find where it ended before he started to extract it. He had know exactly what it was touching before he moved it. He could not see that far down even with the headlamp so he had to do it by touch. As he followed the piece he could feel the rough texture of the lungs brush the back of his hand. When he reached the other end, he felt for the tip, before realizing it was ever so gently touching the soft muscle of the heart. From what he could tell, it did not pierce it but once it was out he needed to check to be sure of that.

He slowly started to retract his hand, stopping once he was at the top again. Wrapping his hand around the shard, he counted in his head. One…two…three- and he pulled up sharply. Dropping the shard in a bin as the patient started to bleed out, he quickly returned his hand to the incision and started to quickly repair the arteries and lung.

[][][][]

Padme's resident applied hydration as she drilled a small hole on the top of the patient's skull. When the drill penetrated the other side of the skull, blood started to flow out and suction was brought in immediately to start to clear the hole. Using the endoscope she placed the tubular end with the tiny camera into the brain, pushing it down through the surface to search for the bleeder. Padme watched the monitor on the hand piece as she guided the scope through the brain, careful not to bump anything. When she reached the divide between the frontal and parietal lobe she found the bleeder and the clot the MRI showed. Carefully she used the tool in the scope to drain the clot and restored blood flow.

Slowly she started to retract the endoscope before applying a thin dressing to the opening. Tobbi would need to leave his head open for a few days in order for the swelling in his brain to go down, but if she got to the clot in time he should make a full recovery with no mental deficits.

[][][][]

Anakin packed his patient's body with lap pads as the monitors beeped erratically. She would not stop bleeding even with his hand on the bleeder. He had spend four hours in the OR repairing the damaged lung and artery and just when he took her off bypass her heart starts bleeding. Anakin was fast to find the hole, but he hasn't found a way to fix it yet. He had tried to suture a patch to cover the hole but it did not hold. Right now his finger is the only think keeping her from bleeding out.

"Doctor, what do you need?" One of the nurses asked, applying more lap pads.

Anakin's mind raced as he tried to come up with a plan, "I need something that will hold a patch over this hole." He grunted. Her heart rate was elevating and he only had a short amount of time before she goes into V-fib and potentially dies. His eyes widen, "Cyanoacrylate." He runs through the scenario in his head, "glue. Get me glue." The nurses are quick to search through the OR for the glue and in less than two minutes he is handed a syringe full of it. Taking it in one hand, and having the resident prep another patch he counts. "Remove your hand on my count." He says, "One…two…three." The resident lifts his hand as Anakin pushes the syringe in, pressing on the stopper to force the glue out and onto the heart. Before the resident places the patch over the hole. When everyone takes their hands off the patient, they watch as the heart beats and waits to see if it holds. The patient's states stats start to level out and the heart beats slow and steady. He let out a sigh of relief as it held before he started to close.

[][][][]

By the midnight, all the ER patients had finally been tended to. Padme had performed four surgeries and fortunately only one had died. Anakin had three but he did not know when or if two of them would wake up. When he had finished his last surgery, he slowly made his way to the attendings lounge and changed into street chothes before falling back into the couch. He was exhausted. He groaned as he shifted on the couch he had been sleeping on for weeks. It was starting to get uncomfortable sleeping there every night. Leaning back he let his eyes close.

The sound of the door opening jolted him awake. Turning to it he rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand.

"Sorry." It was Padme, "I didn't know you were sleeping."

Anakin shook his head to wake up more, "Its alright. My back would be killing me if I slept like too long."

Padme walked over to her cubby taking off her jacket she started to grab her street clothes but looked back at him. She really hasn't talked to him all day. When she saw him this morning she could not read him. She had no idea if he was mad at her for her rejection. She wanted to explain herself, she should explain herself; he deserved that much. "Ani-"

He raised a hand to stop her, "Don't. Just…" Anakin let out a sigh as he shifted to lean on his knees, "You don't need to explain anything." He said, scratching the back of his neck, "Just… do me a favor and don't lead me on like that." His eyes met hers and she could see how frustrated he was, "I'm willing to wait until your ready. I just… I can't handle being played with like that."

Padme nodded her head slowly, wringing her hands in front of her, "I-I'm sorry, about that." She said, "I didn't want to do that to you… Its just…" Padme paused as she tried to find words, "The scars." She said simply. She didn't know what else she could say- it bothered her. He wouldn't have gone if they had stayed together.

He raises a brow at her, "We're surgeons, we've seen worse scars."

Padme nods, "I know that, its just…"Anakin stands from the couch suddenly, reaching behind his neck he pulls his shirt over his head. Padme's eyes widen, "What are you doing?" She is so confused right now.

He comes to stand in front of her, "Just look," He says. Padme slowly lowers her eyes to look at his chest. Her apartment had been dark when she had first seen him so looking at the scars in the light she is able to see everything. She counts a total of twenty scars that resemble bullet wounds and seven scars from knives. Three of the bullets and two of the knife scars are still red, which tells her they are more recent. Anakin hunches over so he can catch her eye, "I know they look bad." He says, "But they're just scars. It's the past- an ugly past, but still the past. And what I did to get them is long over. In a few more years, you won't even be able to see them," He flashed her a smirk, "Lets stop playing the blame game here. Its just going to make everything more complicated than it needs to be. Agreed?" He holds out his hand for her to shake.

Padme's eyes flash between the scars and the offered hand, "You never would have offered a truce before." She points out.

Anakin gives a shrug, "Life's too short to waste arguing about the past." He says, "The past is finite. It's fixed. But the future, it is endless. It's always in motion, always changing… I'd rather look towards that than back on something I can't change."

Padme stares wide eyed at him. Never in her wildest dreams did she think he would ever say something so… moving. Perhaps he really has changed. Staring back at his hand she takes it and shakes, "Agreed." He smiles at her and she smiles back.


	5. Chapter 5

I am so grateful for all the wonderful feedback I've been getting on this story! This is one of the hardest things I'm writing right now since I am trying to be as accurate as possible with all the medical stuff- I am an audio engineer, not a doctor so all of this is really hard to understand. My main source right now is Grey's Anatomy and Wikipedia and then I double check with medical sites and videos... it drives me crazy sometimes but for the sake of my story it is worth it.

It also has me analyzing all the Star Wars characters I can think of and try to figure out where they would be in this universe. So just for kicks, here is what I have figured out so far:

Chief of Surgery: Yoda

Trauma Surgeons: Plo Koon (department head) Lux Bonteri (intern)

Neuro Surgeons: Onaconda Farr (department head) Padme Amidala (attending)

Pediatric Surgeons: Satine Kryze (department head)

Cardio Surgeons: Anakin Skywalker (department head) Ben Kenobi (attending) Ahsoka Tano (intern)

OB Surgeons: Luminara Unduli (department head) Barris Offee (intern)

Orthopedic Surgeons: Mace Windu (department head) Aayla Secura (attending)

General Surgeons: Mina Bonteri (department head) Bail Organa (attending)

Plastic Surgeons: Quinlan Vos (department head)

Also Palpatine is one of the hospital board directors (maybe that will play a role in the future...)

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 5

Ben stood at the nurse's station going over Anakin's pre-ops. It had not been easy, but after weeks of pestering him to take the day off to visit his family, he finally agreed. So with Anakin not around, Ben took over the cardio department for the day. He spoke with Padme earlier in the morning and she was in good spirits. In the time since that terrible accident on the freeway, he had noticed their relationship had improved and was not as touch and go as it had been before. He had seen they were more willing to talk to one another and they had even gone out for drinks a few times. Both of them refused to talk to him about their developing relationship, but it seemed fairly obvious they were slowly regaining each other's trust. Ben smirked as he sipped his cup and checked the calendar. By the looks of it, if Anakin and Padme did not rekindle their romance by next week, Dorme was going to lose the bet. And Ben still had two weeks left on his bet.

[][][][]

By the middle of the afternoon, Padme was returning her tablet to the nurse's station where Bail was finishing up his chart. He looked up from his work and smiled, "I heard you had a good one this morning." He said, "Parasites in the brain?" He shook his head, "I'd hate to be that guy."

Padme rolled her eyes, "I was just lucky I got them all out." She said, leaning her back against the counter, "Honestly, sometimes I think we deal with the greatest of human stupidity." She remarks and both of them laugh.

"That is true." He says, rubbing his chin, "The other day I pulled a light bulb from where the sun don't shine." Padme covers her laugh and Bail nods, "Yeah, it was not pleasant for either of us." The silence between them lasts only a few moments as he clears his throat, "I um, I hope I'm not intruding too much," He starts, "But Dorme has been pestering me to ask you about Dr. Skywalker." He says, holding his hand up, "I normally wouldn't ask, but she is killing me." He says with a heavy sigh.

Padme rolls her eyes. The past week she has been dodging Dorme's interrogation. She can be too much sometimes, even for her. Dorme has it in her head that everything will play out like it does in the movies- two star crossed lovers meet again and rekindle their romance to find that they are meant to be… but Padme is in no rush to put a label on things. They have only gone out for drinks a few times. There have been no intimate gestures whatsoever. And she doesn't see that changing any time soon. Not that she doesn't want it to- she does- but she wants to take it slow this time. No one-week of dating then getting married without anyone knowing. She wants to be absolutely sure that this is the right thing to do before she falls head over heels for him again.

"I'll talk to her." Padme assured Bail with a pat on the arm. He smiled and gave his thanks before walking away. Off to the side she noticed Ahsoka walking away with a folder of scans and labs in her hands. Padme furrowed her brow. The intern was supposed to be with Mace Windu on orthopedics today. And she knew Mace kept interns close by at all times- he didn't trust them like the other attendings. "Ahsoka." Padme called, startling the young intern, "What are you doing here? I thought you were on the ortho rotation today."

"About that…" Ahsoka scratched the back of her head, her teeth braced and an awkward look on her face, "look, I get that as an intern it is important to get a well rounded education an all that, but I really, really, REALLY want to go into cardiothoracics and there is a patient that just came in that needs an en bloc transplant- the heart and both lungs!" She exclaimed, "I might never get this opportunity again!"

"I didn't know Dr. Kenobi was doing an en bloc transplant today."

Ahsoka's eyes widen, "Uh, well, I guess he is now."

Padme narrowed her eyes, "What are you up to?" Padme knows when an intern is hiding something. She remembers her intern year. Her class had been rather… adventurous back at Naboo General. There was one time when a group of her peers dressed in attendings scrubs so they could get in on a major surgery with a visiting surgeon. Safe to say that group was punished severely.

Ahsoka pinched the bridge of her nose, "Sky Guy is going to kill me." She muttered.

"What does Dr. Skywalker have to do with this?" Padme crossed her arms over her chest, "He's not even here today."

Ahsoka let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah… he wasn't here this morning… but he's here now."

"What?"

[][][][]

Anakin left his en bloc patient's room, the tablet tucked under his arm. The smirk on his face could not be contained. An en bloc transplant of the heart and both lungs. It is a golden surgery- performed only a hundred times a year. This is exactly what he needed after breakfast at his family's house. Ben had told him to visit his mother and he had; he hoped she was in a good mood. And she had been, until halfway through breakfast. After that he had left, went for a run before he found himself standing outside of Courscant Memorial. Its not like he doesn't have a life outside the hospital- he does- its just most of it isn't nearly as exciting as cutting someone open and fixing them. So, rather than settle for going to a bar or shopping for stuff for his bike, he found himself a surgery- and a damn good one at that.

Down the hall he saw Padme walking towards him, her eyes narrowed and trained on him. The smile on his face fell as he saw Ahsoka trailing behind her, "Shit." He muttered as she closed in on him.

"What are you doing?" She demanded; her arms crossed over her chest.

Anakin leaned to the side to glare at Ahsoka, "Why did you tell her I was here?" He demanded.

"Don't blame the inter, Anakin." Padme scolded, "You're an attending you should know better than to teach an intern to hijack a surgery."

He pouted and folded his arms over his chest; it would have been adorable if this were a different discussion, "Its not really stealing. I'm the head of cardio."

Padme shook her head; "Ben said you were visiting your mother today. What happened that made you decide to skip out on her?" Padme knew how much Anakin loved his mother. Besides her, his mother was the most important person in his life. Shmi worked hard to support him when he was a child- working up to three jobs sometimes just to get by. She had often pretended that there was nothing wrong for his sake, but Anakin had recounted to Padme that he always knew they were struggling, which was one of the reasons he wanted to go to medical school. He wanted to have a job where he could support her so she wouldn't have to work so hard. He wanted to buy her a house so she could get rid of the trailer and live the good life she deserved to have.

Anakin gives a casual shrug, "Something came up." He said, "She needed to do something with my stepdad for this thing they're doing- I don't really know much about it. But there really wasn't much for me to do there, so…" He gestured to where they were standing, "Here I am, doing one of the rarest transplant surgeries in the country. The heart and the lungs are coming from a brain dead patient at Alderaan Medical, they should be here in two hours and everything is all set to go." Anakin pointed to Ahsoka, "Got the scans? Lets go!" As he turned to leave, Padme grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the nearest room, closing the door to keep Ahsoka out. "What was that for?"

"Anakin, what is going on?" She asked bluntly.

He scoffed, "Nothing, everything is just fine!" He said. Padme gave him a skeptical look, which told him she was not going to let him go so easily. With a sigh he rubbed the back of his neck, "Alright!" He paused a moment before he continued, "…maybe I don't like how my mom's husband and stepson are trying to be my dad and brother. I mean, they're nice and everything, and mom's really happy- which is great and everything- just… I don't need them to pretend to be my family." Anakin stuffs his hands into the pockets of his coat, "I know they mean well, and I know they're just trying to get to know me better and build a relationship with me; I just… don't want it like they do."

Padme nodded her head, understanding what he was saying, "Did you ever try to see things their way? Just to be nice."

He nodded his head, "Yeah, but it's a bit of a culture clash actually. I'm from Mos Espa and they're from just outside Mos Eisley- big tough urban city versus small friendly country town- not exactly something I'm comfortable with."

Anakin was never someone who had a lot of friends. Mos Espa was not a good place to grow up in. There were gangs, drugs and was the screaming definition of the broken glass theory- there was crime everywhere. Anakin had grown up learning not to trust too many people and not to trust anyone too much. It was a difficult childhood, he admits it and it is a miracle he didn't fall into that spiral. It is no wonder the stepfamily from the quaint little town of Mos Eisley is a challenge for him to get along with.

Padme takes his hand, "Maybe you should tell them that." She suggests, "At least just let them know that you appreciate what they are tying to do, but it's not what you're used to; that way they know you're not just snubbing them."

He pinches the bridge of his nose, "Yeah."

"Maybe we should get a drink after work today." She says, his eyes came down to meet hers, "You look like you could use one."

He lets out a light laugh, "I probably could." He gives her a sincere smile, leaning forward; he hesitates for a moment, his eyes staring deep into hers before he presses a soft kiss to her cheek, "See you tonight." He says, straightening back to his full height before leaving the room, Ahsoka close on his heels.

Padme presses her hand to the cheek he kissed, a light blush on her face. She hadn't expected it. It was the first some-what intimate gesture made since they agreed to move forward. It was just a kiss on the cheek and he has her blushing like a schoolgirl. At this point, she realizes they really need to move past this awkward patch in their relationship… they need to try again. Shaking her head she composes herself so she can return to work.

"You two should just get on with it and do it" Padme turns her head sharply to the source of the voice- an old woman in the patient bed. The color returns to her cheeks realizing that she had seen the whole thing. The old woman smiles at her, "It's a good lesson, ya know- check that the room is empty before dragging your boyfriend in." Padme quickly leaves the room before the situation gets worse, walking quickly down the hall to find a patient in need of brain surgery- preferably the unresponsive kind.

[][][][]

Padme finished writing up the last of her charts before Anakin. Walking out into the parking lot she went to wait for him by his parking space, which was where the familiar motorbike that he had always been so fond of waited. It was a 1995 Ducati Monster M900 with a matte black finish. He had saved every penny he earned since he was nine until he was sixteen to be able to afford it and then had spent three years customizing it until it was perfect.

Padme leaned against its frame, waiting patiently for Anakin to emerge from the hospital. It didn't take long for him to make his way out of the sliding doors and make his way to her. "Hope you weren't waiting too long," He said.

She shook her head, "Got here only a few minutes before you." Anakin smiled as he unlocked the helmet lock and passed the extra helmet to her, which she pulled on with ease before mounting the bike behind him.

The engine roared to life and he revved it twice like the show off he has always been. Her arms came to wrap around his waist tightly as he drove them out of the parking lot and into the city. Padme smiled as she pressed herself closer to him. This had been something she missed about being with him. There was something so exciting about it that it just gave her a thrill. She loved the speed, loved how the wind would hit her as they sped down streets, she loved being pressed against him like this- feeling the firm muscles of his abdomen under her fingers, how his body shifts in turns, and feeling all of him pressed so close to her. When they were married it confirmed for her how right they were for each other. Now, it served as proof that they should at least give it a chance. Her mother hates the bike. She thinks they are too dangerous and that Anakin is too reckless. And he is sometimes- going too fast, taking sharp turns; but she despite that, she trusts him completely.

Anakin took them to a small dive a couple blocks away from the city's center. The bar was darkly lit and crowded with people around their age. He led them to sit at the bar where they ordered burgers and beer. Eating their meal they exchanged small talk- nothing special, mostly things about work and the gossip around the hospital. When they got around to talking about the ridiculous bet about them getting together they burst out laughing. Other than Dorme, the fact that they had once been married was still unknown. It wasn't something either of them wanted the hospital to know, especially knowing how everyone seems so interested in their relationship as it is.

"Am I wrong to assume Dorme started this whole thing?" He asks, finishing off his beer and waving for another.

Padme wipes her mouth to cover a small laugh; "I wouldn't put it past her." She said, "But honestly I've been avoiding her since I know she will ask so many questions that I just don't have the energy to answer."

"How are you still friends with that woman?" He asks sarcastically, shaking his head.

She gives a shrug, "Everyone has that one friend they can't shake, and sometimes it's a pain, but most times its good to have."

Anakin nods his head in understanding, "Ben is the same way- a bit more reserved- but still."

Padme shoves his shoulder playfully, "Ben is nothing like Dorme." She argues, "He's more… like a Jiminy Cricket while she is more like Ariel- pretty but not too bright and thinks the only thing that matters is true love."

He lets out a small chuckle, "Well, that is pretty important." Her gaze meets his as his hand slowly comes to rest near hers- their fingertips barely touching.

Padme glances down at their hands, pulling her fingers away slightly as she chews lightly on her lower lip. He pulls his hand back not long after. The look in his eyes tells her he is backing off, but if she is being honest, she doesn't want him to. "Can I ask you something?" She starts.

"I think you just did."

Padme rolls her eyes and he nods his head for her to continue, "What do you think we are?"

Anakin furrows his brow, "What do you mean?"

"What are we?" She asks again, but he still has the same confused look on his face. She takes a large sip of her beer to help her overcome her nerves, "I'm asking if you think we're dating."

Anakin's eyes widen and he sits up straighter in his seat. What is he suppose to say? He wants to say yes- they enjoy each other's company and while they haven't really tried for anything more, the only reason he is trying to hold back is for her sake. Is she asking because she wants them to be dating? Or is she doing it to reiterate ground rules? Anakin gives a small shrug, "What do you think?" He asks as a means to test the waters.

"I don't know…"

He leans towards her, resting his arms on the counter, "Do you want us to be?" He tries. She is quiet and looks away slightly, "If you say no, that's fine. And if you say yes, then I will still take things as slowly as you like. Just tell me what you want."

He's told her he is willing to wait so often that she almost expects it, but at the same time it catches her off guard so easily. The way he says it, the look in his eyes tell her that he means it every time and every time she can see how much he hopes she will give him that chance. And maybe trying to just be friends is too much to ask from both of them. The attraction is mutual, so perhaps now is the time to take another step. Padme brings her eyes to meet his. His eyes are searching hers and patiently waiting for her to say something, behind barely veiled anticipation. She smiles at him and stretches her fingers out to reach for his this time, weaving their fingers together, he grips her hand firmly, almost afraid she will pull back again, "I…I think we should give it a try." She says and he looks absolutely shocked.

He shifts his seat closer to hers and rubs the pad of his thumb affectionately on her knuckle, "Really?"

Padme nods her head and the smile that appears on his face is so wide and full of relief she can't help but return it. He leans forward slowly, giving her enough time to refuse him if she wants before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. The kiss is innocent and full of the love he has only for her and her lips respond eagerly as she smiles into it.

When they pulled back the smiles on their faces were still there, an air of contentment around them as they felt the pressure to keep things distant go away. He brought his hand to her hair and pushed a piece that fell in her face back behind her ear. "So, wanna go on a real date with me?" He asks, "You know, the one where I wear a nice suit and you wear a dress specifically designed to test my ability to be a gentleman and we enjoy a nice fancy meal, with expensive wine before I take you home and kiss you goodnight on your doorstep."

"You make it sound so romantic." She says with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.

He laughs, "Well? You want to?"

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

Date night! Yay! I've been waiting for this chapter for a while and had a couple ideas as for how this turned out. Settled on this one in the end, hopefully I get to use some of my other ideas later in this story.

Also for those not up to date on Grey's Anatomy, I may/may not have spoiled something from the season 12 finale... tried to make it as ambiguous as possible, but not sure how well that worked.

-Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 6

The day of the date finally arrived. As her days normally start now that they are officially dating, Anakin approaches behind her at the nurse's station, his left hand grips her waist while his right casually places a vanilla latte with a shot of hazelnut on the counter next to her while he leans his head down to place a soft kiss on her cheek. Padme turns her head to greet him and he flashes her a charming smirk, "Hey," He greets. Padme returns the greeting but looks back down at her chart. She feels him rest his head on her shoulder, "Anything good today?" He asks.

Padme smiles, "Glioblastoma," She says, tapping a key to pull up the CT.

Anakin reaches over and slides through the scans, "Its as big as a baseball." He says and she laughs.

"Yeah, it's going to be a long surgery." Padme let out a soft sigh, if this was as bad as it looked, it could take anywhere from four to eight hours to remove.

Anakin ran his hand along her side, "Yeah, but at least you have something to look forward to after." He said, placing another kiss on her cheek, "I got an endobronchial carcinoid this morning. If I delay any longer Windu will steal my intern."

Padme rolled her eyes, "You do realize Ahsoka needs more than just cardio and general, right?"

Anakin gives her a smirk, "Of course, which is why you have her tomorrow." Moving away from her he leaned over the counter to grab a tablet, flashing her a smile, "See you tonight," He said as he walked away.

Padme turned her attention back to the scans she had, rereading the chart before she too headed towards her patient.

[][][][]

By the time Ben walked out of his first surgery of the day, he saw Anakin leaving his. "Morning," He greeted.

"How'd it go?" Anakin asked.

Ben gave a shrug, "As good as any." He said, sitting on the bench, "Honestly, don't people realize eating grease every meal is slowly killing them?"

Anakin laughs, "Well if they did, we'd lose about twenty-five percent of our patients."

Ben rolled his eyes before he raised a brow at him, "And… you have that date tonight, right?"

He smirked, "Yeah, been looking forward to it ever since she said yes."

"More like ever since you saw her again." He corrected, "Where exactly are you taking her?"

Anakin didn't argue- he couldn't, "Not telling." He said, "I know how gossip works around here, I'm not about to spoil the surprise."

Ben put a hand to his chest as if he was hurt by his words, "And you think I would break your confidence?"

"No, because you know if you do I'll tell Satine that you're into her."

He narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't."

"I would." A devilish smirk crossed his face, "In fact, I have a surgery with her later- baby born with the heart outside. I'd bet she'd love to know how you stare at her when she's not looking."

"Alright!" Ben let out a sigh, "I get it." The silence between them lasted for several minutes as they just sat, "How's Shmi?"Anakin's shoulders stiffened at the mention of his mother, "I heard she's getting worse-"

"Don't, Ben." Anakin warned, "Just, don't. I get enough of this from Cliegg. I don't need it from you too."

Ben shook his head, "I know you don't like it. I don't either- Shmi is a magnificent woman and it is terrible what is happening… But you need to be there for her. She needs you."

Anakin shakes his head, "I can't." Leaning forward he runs his hands over his scrub caped head, "She has Cliegg and Owen to help-"

"She needs her son." Ben argues.

Anakin takes a deep breath as he stands, "I got to talk to the family," He said, "I think we'd better drop it so they don't think I killed their brother."

Anakin turns and starts to leave, "Does Padme know?" He stops in his tracks, but remains silent. She doesn't know.

[][][][]

Padme lets out an exhausted sigh as she enters the attendings lounge at the end of the day. She was ready to go home and curl up in bed and just sleep. Glancing at the spot she normally keeps her stuff, the thought of spending the rest of the night in bed dies and is replaced with the anticipation for her date- their first real date. Padme smiles as she pulls the dress she brought off the hanger and goes to change into it. It was an ankle length strapless black dress with a slit up the side. Padme smiles, as she looks herself over. The black heels she is wearing with the dress add an extra three inches to her short stature, which isn't much when she stands next to Anakin. Her hair is arranged in a lose chignon and she wears a pair of simple silver dangling earrings.

It has been a long time since she has been on a date like this and to do it with Anakin is something she never expected. He always was a romantic, but he didn't like fancy restaurants. His go-to place was always the one that had no dress code and where he could order a steak that was at least the size of a large dinner plate. Padme on the other hand, had grown up going to fancy restaurants for special occasions and was more accustomed to appreciating the quality rather than the quantity. For Anakin to suggest the go out for a nice fancy dinner, it was further confirmation of how serious he is about this.

Anakin walked through the door not long after she finished getting ready. His eyes trained over every inch of her before he settled on her eyes- the smile on his face wide, "You're beautiful." He says.

She smiles back, "Thank you." She takes him in as well- charcoal suit with a navy tie- his hair even fixed so it wasn't as unruly as it normally is, "You're not half bad yourself."

He smirks and holds his hand out to her, "Ready?" She smiles and takes it as he leads them out of the hospital. She can't help but notice how he subtly glances at her when he thinks she isn't looking. It makes her smile, seeing how he can't seem to stop. He leads her to his parking space where a car sits instead of a car, "I convinced Ben to lend me his car tonight," He explained as he opened the door for her. He was being a complete gentleman tonight it seemed as he closed the door before getting in himself.

On the drive to the restaurant, Padme tried to get him to tell her where they were going but he held firm and kept his mouth quiet even as she ran off the list of possible places he could take her. Anakin merely smirked as she was not even close to where he was taking her. Pulling into the lot he catches her wide eyes as he turns the car off, "You can't be serious." She says but he keeps the smirk on his face, "You can't- how? The Manarai?"Anakin nods his head and Padme can't believe it. The Manarai is the most high-end restaurant in Coruscant. Padme hasn't even been here before. It's almost impossible to get a reservation.

Anakin leads her into the restaurant and the waiter immediately takes them to a table on the top floor by the window. The restaurant is dimly lit but the light from the city shining through the floor to ceiling windows ensures it isn't too dark. Padme glances at the menu and she has a hard time believing he would pick this place. The menu is only two pages and one of those pages is just wine. The other page has an entire section dedicated to caviar and then an extremely short list of entrees. And most of the names are written in French. Looking up from her menu she tries to gage how he feels about the place. He is focused on the menu but she can tell he isn't reading it.

Before she can ask if he wants to go somewhere else the waiter comes over and asks if they want wine. Anakin smiles at her before he orders a wine- a seventy-five dollar wine. She can't help but wonder what he is thinking. The waiter returns moments later with the wine and a bucket of ice. When he asks if they are ready, Anakin gestures for her to order. He looks like he is okay with all of this- that he wants this. Looking down, she orders one of the only things she can pronounce- _asperges blanches_. He orders _poissons de tuiles d'or_. Left alone to finally talk, Padme asks one of her burning questions; "How did you manage this?"

Anakin shrugs casually, "Wasn't easy, but this guy in my platoon, Rex, he has a lot of brothers- and I mean a lot- four of them were in our platoon- anyways, one of his brothers knows the chef. So I asked Rex to ask his brother to ask the chef for a reservation… and lets just say I kept calling them until they said I got it."

"And you wanted to come here?"

He smiles, "I figured I'd give it a chance."

Padme raised a brow at him, "Ani, you really didn't have to-"

"I wanted to." He cut her off, reaching across the table for her hand. She smiled and let their fingers weave together.

The food that was brought to them was very good- beautifully presented and had a nice balance of flavors. The two of them engaged in simple small talk that for once didn't drift back into work. She asked about some of his friends from the army, he asked about what she does outside of work they talked about the little things that make up their lives- the simple and mundane; from their favorite television show to whether they were a cat person or a dog person; it was nice… but it was far from perfect. It didn't feel right for them to be there. It was sweet that he went through with the effort to get them there, but it just wasn't them. They weren't the people who needed a five-star restaurant with caviar for a romantic dinner. They didn't need a long wine list, or entrees that could be finished in two bites. She would have been happy if he just took her to the small Italian restaurant down the street from the hospital. She didn't need a place this fancy- that was something her parents did.

When the meal is over, Anakin pays the bill, she tried to get him to split it, she saw the prices on the menu and knows it is well over a hundred dollars but he waves her off, proclaiming that it wouldn't be a date if he let her pay. She didn't like that but he paid all the same. The ride to her apartment continued the light conversation dinner had. She was quite surprised to find that he too watched Grey's Anatomy when he could. He claimed it was because Cristina Yang is a cardio goddess- but she was no longer on the show but clearly still watched it so it was an obvious lie.

"I honestly can't believe how the season ended," Anakin said with a shake of his head, "I mean, come on; who even cares about Maggie?"

Padme raised a brow at him, "She's the head of cardio! I'd think you'd love her character."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "No one will ever be better than Cristina Yang." He argues, "She had everything from the snarky quotes to the raw talent. No one can beat that."

Padme shakes her head, "Well, I can see why Maggie likes Riggs; he is pretty cute." She says with a sly smile.

Anakin glances at her, "You're already dating a cardio surgeon. You're not dating another."

"Why? Jealous?"

He scoffs, "Because you think he's cute you think I'm jealous?" She shrugs, "No reason to be jealous. He's not real." He answered before a smirk crossed his face, "Besides, I'm probably bigger than him."

Padme's head turns sharply to him, slapping him on the arm, "You had to go there, didn't you?"

Anakin laughs as he pulls up to the front of her building, unbuckling his seat belt and shifting to look at her, "No, but its probably true."

Padme shakes her head before he leans in and presses a kiss to her lips. Her eyes close at the contact. Brining her hand to cup his jaw she pulls him closer as his hand comes to support the back of her neck. When the kiss breaks she keeps her hold on his jaw while she leans her forehead against his, "Ani…" She says, her voice is soft, as she can't let him think everything was perfect- if he did than he would just do it again.

"What is it?" He asks, his voice full of concern, "What's wrong?"

Padme shakes her head against his and opens her eyes to look at his, "Nothing is wrong…"

"Than what's with that tone?" His brow is knitted in confusion and Padme runs her hand along his jaw before pulling back.

"Why exactly did you pick that restaurant?"

He raises a brow, "Because it is the nicest place in the city."

Padme shakes her head, "Just because it is the nicest place, doesn't mean that it will be the perfect place for us." She says.

"Are you saying you didn't have a good time?" His eyes widen, the fear is shown clearly in his eyes.

"No, no, that's not it," She says, taking his hand in hers, "It was… nice."

"But?"

"But…" Padme weaves their fingers together and he squeezes her hand gently, "But it was better when we were… just us." She says, "That place… the food is great, I can't argue that. But that place just isn't us. We aren't the people who own successful businesses or have a family name that will get us everywhere. We don't have a house for every season-"

"You have three houses-"

"Point is," Padme lets out a sigh, "I am my parent's daughter, but I'm not them. I don't want the things they have. If I did, I would have gone to business school and not spent the last eight years learning how to cut people open." She brings her hand to his jaw and rubs it affectionately, "I don't need the nicest things to be happy, I don't need to eat at a restaurant that costs as much as a neuro consult… I just need you." Padme gives him a smile, "We could have gone out for ribs or to that nice moderately priced teppanyaki place Dorme recommended and I would have been happy with that."

Anakin looked down at their linked hands, "I'm sorry it wasn't perfect." He said.

Padme shook her head, pulling him in for a chaste kiss, "Its alright, Ani." She said, "I still had fun, let's just save places like that for when my parents are around."

Anakin smirks, "Fine by me." He says, "I felt like a fish out of water in that place," He admitted, "Who would have thought trailer trash would ever end up in that type of place."

"You're not trailer trash, Ani."

He smiles at her, "I'm whatever you say I am." He says, leaning his forehead against hers.

It's cheesy, but he's always been cheesy and it does make her smile. She rarely ever plays along with it, but this is one of those times when she does, "Then just be Ani."

* * *

Just to clarify the Grey's Anatomy thing: the opinions are not all mine. I like Maggie and I LOVE Cristina, and Riggs is cute but I'm still on the fence about him... Apparently I have a thing for cardio surgeons; not complaining.


	7. Chapter 7

This story has the most reviews I have ever gotten! Thank you all so much! I am already about halfway through the next chapter and this one is more... a calm before a storm. And just as a side note: the medical research is very hard for me to understand so while I try to be as accurate as I can be, I am the farthest thing from a surgeon, and some of the things that happen, or symptoms are more... so I don't have them doing transplants and aneurysm clippings all the time (since that is the only thing I know I am confident I understand).

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 7

Padme sipped at her latte that Anakin had brought her that morning. He couldn't stay long since the ER paged him a 911. She was so focused on her charts she barely noticed Dorme walking over to her, "I think you've been avoiding me," She said.

Padme looked up from her chart, "That's not true, I've just been busy."

Dorme rolled her eyes, "Of course you have been. So, tell me; is he as good as he was before?"

Her eyes widened a moment before they narrowed on her friend, "We haven't gotten that far yet." She said, "We're taking things slow- dating."

Dorme let out a loud sigh, "Really? And how do you think that will work out with both of you like you do?"

Padme smirked, "We've already been on one."

She quickly ripped the tablet from Padme's hands despite her protests and put it behind her back, "Details. Now." She ordered, "What did you do? What did you wear- what did he wear? Was it romantic? Oh! Did he bring you flowers or chocolates? Just- tell me!"

Padme shook her head at her friend's excitement, "It was just dinner at the Manarai and it-"

"Are you serious!" Dorme cut her off, "Manarai- THE Manarai. Spelled M-A-N-A-R-A-I?" Padme nodded her head, "Wow, that's… so romantic. Was it a lovely as they say it is?"

"It is… its just-"

"What could possibly be wrong? That man is putting maximum effort into wooing you! Stop dancing around and just go make beautiful babies with him!"

Padme glared at Dorme, "Be glad I don't have a scalpel on hand right now." She said, heaving out a sigh, "You remember Palo, right? When I was dating him and the three of us were hanging out you felt like a third wheel. You felt out of place, like you didn't belong there and it just felt awkward." Dorme nodded her head with a knit in her brow, she remembered Palo. He was a bigger flirt than Anakin- every time he spoke to Padme he would spew out some complement to her or a joke to make her laugh. Dorme hated him for making it feel like she shouldn't be there, "That is sort of what it felt like at the restaurant. I mean, none of us are like that."

"Your parents are." Dorme muttered, "Speaking of them, have you told them you're with him again?"

She let out a groan, "I've been avoiding that particular conversation." She admitted, "My family is still pretty bitter about me getting married without telling them. And they are still mad that I divorced without telling them too, so…"

Dorme held up a thumb, "Say no more, I get it… you realize you have a secret relationship monopoly, right? Secret marriage, secret divorce, now secret dating- and all with the same guy." She wiggled her brow at her.

Padme groaned and reached behind her to grab the tablet, yanking it hard to get it away from her, "You're impossible."

[][][][]

Ben watched Anakin from the computer he was sitting at. He should be looking into a possible approach to remove a tumor in the lung without performing a lobectomy, but he can't help but think Anakin is too quiet today.

"You going to stare all day?" He asked. Ben rose from his seat and made his way to where Anakin was sitting. He had his feet crossed and resting on the table, his arms were crossed as his eyes were focused on the scans in front of him, "Kid was impaled on ten metal rods." He said, pointing his finger at all the puncture holes, "He was messing around in a construction yard and fell from the second story. Lucky to be alive."

Ben nodded his head and stroked his beard pensively, "Is he awake?"

Anakin nodded, "For a bit. Still drowsy from the surgery."

"How'd the date go?" He asked. Something told him it did not go exactly as planned.

Anakin shifts in his seat, "It was alright," He said, "Not perfect- which I get why it wasn't… now at least," Anakin sighs, "I'm trying too hard." He admits, "I don't know why I thought that was a good idea." He scratches the back of his neck, "I should have known she isn't into that stuff. She never has been."

Ben gives a shrug, "You wanted to be romantic, nothing wrong with that. You've also never really dated too much- not like this anyway."

He takes his feet of the table, "Yeah…" He runs his hand through his hair.

"There's something else," Ben states simply.

"She had a seizure last night." Ben's eyes widen, "Cliegg said it was the worst one yet. Said she was running around the apartment shouting my name." Anakin paused a moment, rubbing his eyes, "I went over to try and calm her down… she didn't even know who I was this time. She was looking for ten year old me."

Ben placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry," He said.

He shakes his head, "Don't be." He said, leaning back in his chair, "Besides, she's doing better today. Owen texted me when she calmed down and said she doesn't even remembering it happening."

Ben nodded his head, "That's… good. But is it really wise to avoid it like you do?"

He gives a shrug, "Probably not," He admits and lets a smirk cross his face, "But you're the wise one. I'm just the pretty one." Ben rolls his eyes, "I'm going to go check on my human sish kabob." He said, rising from his seat and leaving.

Ben shook his head as his friend left. He always did that whenever his mother came up in conversation. He gave little pieces of information before he found some excuse to leave. It was tiring trying to get him to talk, but he wouldn't talk to anyone else so until he confided in someone completely, he would listen to whatever he needed to talk about.

[][][][]

She smiled at the cook in the cafeteria as she finished grabbing her lunch. Padme looked around the large room to see if Anakin had finally arrived. Her smile widened when she saw him sitting at a table in the back, his arms dangling from the chair as he leaned back with his legs stretched out under the table. She made her way over to him, placing her tray down and sitting across from him, "I take it you're having a good day, "She said, taking note of the relaxed look on his face.

He groaned, leaning forward to rest his head in his hand, "Far from it, actually," He said, reaching to grab one of her french fries, "Luminara's patient is having a baby with atrioventricular septal defect."

Padme raises a brow, "And that's a problem because…?"

"She isn't the problem," He says reaching for more fries, "Her kids are. She has four boys and they are running around like gremlins. Dad is MIA, and Mom is obviously doing something really important that I would never bother her about. So, Ahsoka and I have been trying to monitor the baby's heart while the boys were yelling and screaming and throwing stuff at us."

Padme smiles at his story, "And you just left Ahsoka to handle this?"

He points a finger at her, "She's an intern, they are meant to handle all the crap we don't want to. Why do you think we always send them to run labs or check urine outputs? Because we don't want to do that. We're surgeons- we live to cut."

She rolls her eyes at him, "I almost feel sorry for her." She raises a finger to stop him from objecting, "Almost." She said picking up the white paper bag on her tray, "If I really felt sorry for her, I'd be giving this to her instead of you." She passed him the white bag and eagerly opened and glanced inside.

"Did this come from the coffee cart near the neuro ward?" she nodded, "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He asked, as he pulled out the bear claw and took a large bite out of it, "I swear the neuro patients get better stuff than the cardio patients." He says with his mouth full of the pastry, "I mean, can't they at least give us these? They're letting me poke around in their chests. Most of the time you're just… sticking a clip into their head."

Padme kicks his leg under the table, "Excuse me, I do more than just clip aneurisms," She argued, ""I'll have you know I resected a spinal tumor today." He smiles at her and she smiles back, "You're just making fun of me."

He laughs, "I'd be much too frightened to tease a neurosurgeon," She rolls her eyes and snatches the last piece of the pastry out of his hand, popping it in her mouth, "Now that's just mean."

She shrugs, "You deserve it."

Anakin reaches across the table and takes her hand, brushing her knuckle with his thumb, "When do you get off today?"

"Late." She groans, "I'm here until ten. What about you?"

He shrugs, "Depends when the mother of gremlins has her baby. I hope its soon not sure I'll survive those kids all night."

Padme shakes her head, "Poor you." She said with little sympathy.

He smiles and opens his mouth to speak but his pager starts to beep before he can. Glancing down he sees it's Luminara's patient, "Speak of the devil." He groans, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckle, "Back to the trenches," He says grabbing a handful of her fries before leaving.

She shakes her head as he leaves and finishes her meal in silence.

[][][][]

Ahsoka ducked her head as one of the boys took his toy laser gun and pointed it at her head. The loud buzzing from the toy made her eardrums ring. She groaned as she tried to read the monitor with all the havoc they were causing. Barriss, Lunimara's intern stood next to her, monitoring the mother. She was much calmer and seemed to tolerate them better than she did.

"Sky Guy better show up soon." She groaned and Barriss smiled.

"Come on, the kids are harmless," She argued.

One of the younger boys threw a ball and it hit Ahsoka in the head, "You call this harmless?"

Barriss shrugged, "I'm a little biased." She said, "I want to go into neonatal or PEDS."

Ahsoka groaned, "That would do it."

"I take it you're more of a cardio girl than."

"Without a shadow of a doubt." Ahsoka said with pride, "Sky Guy's been a great teacher- he's let me in on several transplants."

Barriss nods her head, "I can tell he favors you. He hasn't given anyone else the same treatment he gives you."

Ahsoka shrugs, "Yeah well, I am a pretty impressive surgeon." She boasts. Through the window of the room she sees the tall stature of Dr. Skywalker just before he enters the room. He ducks his head slightly as another boy throws a toy at the wall next to him. He glances at the toy then back at the boy before composing himself and walking over to her, ignoring the chaos, "Thank God you're here," She said, "They are driving me crazy!" She hisses so the mom can't hear her.

"Why do you think I went to lunch?" He asks, looking at the monitor, "What do you got?"

Ahsoka points at the heart on the display, "I think we need to get this baby out soon. Heart rate is elevated and that means too much blood is flowing into the one cavity. If we get it out now, we can split the cavities so it will pump blood better. Waiting risks the heart bursting before it's born."

Anakin nods his head, "I completely agree." He said, turning his head to Barris, "Have you paged Dr. Unduli?"

"I have. But one of her other patients needed a C-section. She's in the OR now."

Anakin looks back at the monitors before turning to the mother, "Mrs. Drayson," He starts, "The baby's elevated heart rate has me concerned it will not survive a natural birth. I would like to take you in for a C-section so we have a chance to fix your child's heart chambers."

Mrs. Drayson was sweating and her breath was hard as she entered another contraction. Anakin took hold of her hand to help her through it and waited for it to pass. As her grip loosened on his hand she took a deep breath, "Do what you have to, Doctor. Just save my baby."

Anakin nods his head, "I will do everything I can." He said, "Page OB, tell them we're coming down."

[][][][]

By the time they got down to the OR Luminara had already finished with her patient and scrubbed in for the C-section, which went by with no complications. With the baby safely out, it allowed Anakin and Ahsoka to take the baby into the next OR to fix the little boy's heart.

Anakin cut into the baby's chest easily and retracted just enough to see the heart. In order to do the repair he has to open the heart and apply patches to the holes in the valves so blood flow is normal. He makes the first cut into the heart and isolates the valve to measure how big the patch needs to be. Taking the patch he applies it before moving on to the next valve. He is able to move relatively fast through the valves and Ahsoka is impressed with how precise he is. "Alright, let's see if this worked." He says as he finishes suturing the heart. Glancing down at it he watches it beat slow and steady, "I think we're done here," He says with a smile. The heart monitor starts to beep erratically, "What?" The heart starts to bloat as the heart beats faster and more blood fills the organ, "The patch failed," He hisses taking the scalpel and cutting into the heart again, "What happened?" He asks himself as he tries to fix the patches, "What is going on?"

"He's going into V-fib," Ahsoka warns.

"I'm still inside his heart. I can't defibrillate. Push one of Epi." Anakin hurries to try and fix the lose patch as the nurses start the timer. He doesn't have long until he has to call it. His brow is sweating as he rushes. He can't figure out why the patch failed and how he can fix it. The long sounding beep signaling the loss of a pulse starts to echo in the room as everyone stops what they are doing. Anakin's hand is still on the boy's heart. He waits several seconds before pulling his hand back and looks up at the clock. There is nothing he can do, "Time of death, 2:45."

[][][][]

Anakin and Ahsoka were silent as they walked to the mother's room. The boy should not have died. The patch should have held. He should have been faster. He should have been better. Anakin closed his eyes as he tried to clear his head. He could not go in there and blame himself for what happened. Patients die. It happens. They die because of errors, they die because surgery is stressful, they die because they die. Sometimes there is nothing that can save them. And this is one of those times. They pause outside the room and glance inside and see the mother resting with her other sons playing in the room.

Ahsoka looks up at him, "What do we say to her?" She asks.

Anakin pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a tired sigh, "You don't say anything. She just lost her baby, the best you can do is be quiet and let me deal with this." With that said, they walk in and Mrs. Drayson smiles lethargically at them.

"How is my little Diric?"

Anakin walks over to the foot of the bed, his hands folded in front of him, "We did everything we could." He said.

Her face dropped and she shook her head, "No," She whispered, "no, no no!"

Anakin shook his head, "I'm sorry, your son is dead-"

"You said you could fix him." She said between tears, "You said it was a simple fix."

Anakin pauses, "It was. But complications happen… The patch we applied could not hold and he coded before we could fix it." She brought her hand to her mouth as she cried and shook her head, "I'm sorry for your loss." He said, turning to leave the room with Ahsoka close behind.

"He shouldn't have died." Ahsoka said, "You did everything right. I don't get it."

He shook his head, "Don't dwell on that." He said, "Every surgery has some level of risk. A surgery can have a 1% mortality rate and it's only a matter of time before we find that 1%." He rubbed his hands along one of the airplanes on the scrub cap in his hands, "Point is, you learn. You move on and be better next time..." He shook his head, "Why don't you go and check on Mr. Kaarz and see how he's adjusting to his pacemaker. I have to finish charting for the Draysons." Ahsoka nods her head, and walks away silently as he makes his way to the x-ray display room grabbing a tablet as he passes a nurse's station. Closing the door firmly behind him he lets his back lean against it, closing his eyes and lightly tapping the back of his head to the door, he forces himself not to be bothered by the surgery. With a deep breath he pushes off from the door and takes a seat in one of the chairs in the room. Leaning back he starts to type up the surgery and the outcome.

[][][][]

Padme was almost done with her work. She just had to finish telling her residents what they had to do on the nightshift and what to keep an eye out for. For the most part, she didn't see any reason she would be paged to come back and she was grateful for that- she was exhausted today. Smiling as she handed the tablet to the nurse she started to make her way to the attendings lounge where her stuff was waiting. Passing by the X-ray display room she smiled when she saw Anakin sitting in there. He was leaning back in a chair going over a chart. Knocking lightly on the door she entered and pulled a seat up next to him. Instead of the bright smile he often gifted her with when their eyes met, he had a deep furrow in his brow and his eyes were focused completely on the chart in front of him.

Placing a hand on his shoulder she rubbed it gently, "What's bothering you."

He let his eyes meet hers and he shook his head, "Nothing…"

"Ani."

He let out a heavy sigh, "Kid's dead." He said, "The patch on his mitral valve failed and he bled out before I could fix it." He shook his head and dropped the tablet on the table, "It shouldn't have happened," He said, "There was no reason this should have happened."

"I know," She said as she reached over to grip his hand and squeeze it tightly. Padme understood what he was saying. It is always stressful when a patient dies for no reason. Surgeons can understand if the patient has a preexisting condition that puts them at a higher risk, they understand if a mistake was made- they can understand the science behind a loss. For those cases that defy it, they search and search for answers and never find it. And it haunts them. It is hard to forget a case like that.

Anakin shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I've gone through this so chart so many times… I can't figure it out." He said reaching for the tablet.

Padme grabbed it before he did, "There's nothing to figure out." She said, "You're not the only one fighting for that baby's life. He was fighting too."

Anakin nodded his head, "I know, I know," He let out a tired sigh, "It's just… its harder when it's a kid." He said.

She squeezed his hand tightly, "It is." She agreed, "But there is going to be another sick kid tomorrow and they will need the best cardiothoracic surgeon to make them better." She said with a smile.

Anakin stared at her for several moments. What did he do to deserve her? She is perfect- beautiful, intelligent, ambitious, caring, and she knows exactly what to say. She truly is an angel. He smiles at her and nods his head, "You're right… of course your right," He says bringing both his hands to rub his tired face.

"Come on," She says, standing and holding her hand out to him. He takes it and together they walk out, "You really need to get home and sleep."

He smiles at her and follows her to the attendings lounge where they change out of their scrubs before walking out to her car. He presses a light kiss on her lips and watches as she drives away. He stays in the lot for a few minutes, his hands stuffed in his pockets before turning to go back into the hospital.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello! I am so excited for this chapter! I've been writing and rewriting this and I have finally settled on this one! Hope you like it!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 8

It has been about two weeks since their first date. Within that time their dates have gone much better. Anakin had taken her to a more moderately priced restaurant and they had had a great time. Without the setting of a fancy restaurant, it was more acceptable for them to be themselves. He would occasionally steal a bite of her food and she stole from him in turn. It wasn't always easy for them both to schedule a full date between working late and being on call more days than not, but they made do with what time they were afforded. They would occasionally meet up for a morning run before going into work together. They still enjoyed going out for drinks after work as well. They were happy.

Padme walked down the halls of the cardio ward with a paper bag in her hand. She had invited Anakin to come over since they both got off early today. He was in one of the patient's room standing over her unconscious form. "How is she?" Padme asked.

He glanced at her before dropping his eyes to his patient, "Alive… but nothing." He said, "I have tried everything to get her to wake up and nothing." He crossed his arms over his chest, "Can't figure out what I'm missing about this one. I'm running out of time."

"What did CT show?"

"Nothing." Anakin let out a sigh, "I'm gonna have to run a full lab and get another CT, MRI, and maybe an ultrasound to find the cause of it." He rolls his neck and makes his way over to her, "But enough of that," A smirk crosses his face as he wraps his arms around her waist, "I am off the clock tonight, which means- no pages, no patients, no work; just you and me." Padme smiles up at him and holds up the paper bag, which he quickly takes and pulls out the pastry, "You know me so well." He says, wrapping an arm around her and walking with her to retrieve their belongings.

Padme pokes him in the stomach, "Maybe I should stop giving these to you," She says, "You're going to get fat."

He furrows his brow, "I will not." He said, "I am a doctor. I know how to keep myself healthy. I eat well, and exercise– regularly, I'd like to add- I will not get fat." Padme sighed and shook her head. It was such a typical Anakin answer. "If you do, I'll stop brining you coffee." He said.

"You will do no such thing." She argues, "Unless you want to deal with disgruntled morning me, I need my coffee."

He laughs and kisses her temple, "I love disgruntled you." He says, "She's almost as cute as jealous you." Padme rolls her eyes but he just smiles at her.

They walk out to the parking lot together and make their way over to his parking spot. On the nights they get off at the same time it has become a routine for him to give her a ride to and from work. They would spend part of the night curled up together on her couch watching Netflix.

While she hooked up her laptop to the TV Anakin made himself comfortable on the couch with his arms spread along the back of the couch and his legs crossed on her coffee table with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. Padme came to sit next to him as the opening credits started to roll. Curling herself into his side she leaned against him while his arm came to wrap around her rubbing up and down her arm.

It's always nice when they spend time like this. It never lasts long- both are still hesitant to suggest he spend the night, and he is waiting for her to be ready to advance their relationship. Either way, it is always time well spent. It gives them a chance to clear their head of patients they lost, complications, and just work in general. As surgeons, it is difficult to find someone who understands what they do and how they feel when things don't go well. It was one of the reasons Padme rarely talked about work with her family; they just don't understand. While they mean well when they say, "You did everything you could," it is the exact same thing she tells the family and those words mean nothing to her. There is always something more she feels she could have done. And Anakin understands what that feels like. He knows that silence is sometimes more comforting that words and he knows what words to say when he has to.

Anakin glanced at his watch a few hours later. It was a little past midnight and he still had to get some sleep. Padme had fallen asleep against him with her arm wrapped around his waist. He smiles down at her and presses a kiss to her temple and she snuggles closer to him. As much as he would like to leave her as she is and just fall asleep with her, a couch would not be comfortable for either of them. Carefully he unwraps her arm from around him and shifts so he can pick her up. When he has her in his arms he feels her head shift against his shoulder and hears her sigh in contentment.

He walks slowly and quietly to her bedroom, careful as he pulls the covers down for her and placing her in. She quickly turns on her side and snuggles into her pillow. He pulls the covers over her and turns out the lights before closing the doors behind him as he leaves.

[][][][]

Anakin meets Padme at one of the nurse's stations the next morning. As he usually does, he kisses her cheek when he deliver's her morning coffee. Turning in his arms, she surprises him by pulling him by the collar of his coat so she can kiss him. He doesn't complain and simply leans into it. "Thank you," She whispers against his lips when they part.

"I'm glad you appreciate my coffee delivery skills," He jokes.

She smiles "Not the reason I'm thanking you." She says.

"I know," He said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her for another kiss, "You know you missed an entire episode last night, right?"

Padme rolls her eyes, "I realized that when I woke up this morning. I am quite disappointed in myself."

Anakin is about to open his mouth to respond when their pagers go off. Pulling apart they glance down to see the call down to the ER. They both take off running, dodging other doctors as they run. "What do you think it is?" He asks as they pass Bail and a handful of other surgeons, "Can't be something big if we're the only ones that got paged."

"We're about to find out." She said as they turn the corner into the ER. It does not look like they expect it to look when there is a 911 page. It is relatively calm for an ER. They see the head of trauma by the ER nurse's station. "Dr. Koon." Padme calls, "What is going on?" She asks.

Plo Koon glances between the two of them, "We have a neuro patient in route." He said, "Normally this patient would be directed to Core Medical Center, but the family specifically requested us." He explained.

"If they need neuro, then why am I here?" Anakin asked. The more Koon explained, the more nervous he got. This could not be good.

Plo ran a hand over his head, and was about to answer when his intern, Lux Bonteri ran past, "Ambulance is here." He said. And the surgeons sprang into action.

Opening the doors, the paramedic climbs out, "Fifty-four year old female, had a seizure before pick up lasting three minutes, had another in route lasting five minutes. Given five of lorazapam." He said as he pulled the gurney out.

Anakin is rooted to the spot is barely able to step aside as the gurney is pushed passed him. It's his mother.

[][][][]

Padme is in a similar state of shock. Shmi had two seizures in the span of maybe two hours. She shakes her head as she tries not to dwell on it. Shmi is unconscious for the moment as they get her into a bed. Padme focuses on running her tests for the moment. Plo Koon comes up next to her, "Are you alright doing this?" He asks.

"Of course I am." She responds, "I am more than capable of handling this."

"Because I will understand if you don't want to work on your boyfriend's mother." He said, "It's just that right now, Dr. Farr has not come in yet, and I don't he would trust anyone but Farr or you."

Padme met Plo Koon's eyes, "Page Farr." She said, "I've got it for now, just have him on standby." He nodded and walked away. She turned her attention back to Shmi. From Anakin's reaction, or lack thereof, he knew she was sick, "Ani," She called, but received no response. Turning her head back to see him she saw he was standing several feet away, as if he is afraid to get too close. His eyes are focused on his mother and he looks like he doesn't even register she has said anything, "Anakin," She tries again, louder this time but he is still unresponsive. Stepping away from Shmi she walks over to him and grabs his arm, "Ani," when his eyes meet her he looks so lost, so afraid. She rubs his arm, "It's okay, Ani," She tries.

He shakes his head, "No it isn't." He says simply before his eyes focus on his mother again.

Padme takes his hand and squeezes it tightly, "Whatever you know I need you to tell me." She says, "If I have any chance to help-"

"You don't," He says.

Shmi takes a sharp breath as she regains consciousness and Padme rushes over to treat her, "Shmi, it's me, Padme." She starts, "You're in the hospital. Can you tell me what you remember?"

"Padme?" Shmi asked, her eyes meeting hers, "Padme Naberrie?" Shmi started to laugh, "This is just perfect." She says, "My son's whore ex-wife is trying to play doctor."

Padme's eyes widen at how Shmi spoke. She has never known the woman to talk like that. "Shmi, can you tell me the last thing you remember?" She tried again.

"I heard you the first damn time," She snapped, "Just patch me up and send me home." She demanded.

Padme sighed, "I will just as soon as I know why you seized."

"Some doctor; can't even tell me what's wrong." She complained, "Clearly Ani was more interested in you for your body than that lump on your shoulders you call a head."

"Mom-"

"You stay out of this!" Shmi rounded on her son. His eyes were wide when she started to yell, "You're just like your father." She said. Anakin's eyes fall to the floor at the comparison, "One minute you're here, and the next you're gone. Then you have the audacity to show up again." Anakin closed his eyes as his mother continued, "I never should have listened to that deadbeat. I never should have let him talk me into having you."

Padme watched Anakin the entire time Shmi ranted. From the way he looked at the ground, the furrow in his brow and how he shifted his feet, this clearly was not the first time he has heard this. "Page Farr." Padme ordered. Shmi would not cooperate with her and all of this was too much for her to handle and she knew she could not listen to how she was talking about Anakin. Besides, she would be more help for him than her. She stayed with Shmi until the head of neurosurgery, Onaconda Farr arrived to take over. Padme agreed to get the patient's medical history and moving over to Anakin she took him by the arm and led him away.

In the waiting room, a man around Anakin's age walked up to them, "How is she?" He asked.

Anakin stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Padme this is Owen Lars." He said, "My stepbrother."

She held her hand out to him and shook it politely, "She's fine right now." She said, "Dr. Farr is examining her and we should know more soon." She said, "Could you just excuse us." Owen nodded his head and moved back to where he was sitting with a young blonde woman and an older man in a wheel chair. Taking Anakin's arm again, she took him to sit in a set of chairs far from everyone else. She shifted herself so she was facing towards him but he sat staring straight ahead. Placing a hand on his leg, she waited for him to speak.

Anakin leans back in his seat and crosses his arms across his chest, "Grade IV astrocytoma." He says, "It's inoperable."

"Ani…" Padme starts, "Why didn't you tell me?"

He gives a shrug, "It doesn't concern you." He said.

"It can't be easy going home to this-"

"That's why I don't." He said, his eyes focused on something far away, "I've been staying here," He admitted, "I sleep in the lounge or an on-call room, wake up at 4, drive around for a bit, go for a run and get coffee, then come in to work and leave for drinks after before coming back here to sleep."

"Ani…"

"I couldn't stay there." He said, leaning forward to rub his face in his hands, "Some days, she didn't even know who I was. And for the days she did…"

"She was angry at you." Padme finished, "It's a common side effect of the tumor."

Anakin let out a tired sigh, "I know that. Rapid changes in personality, impaired judgment, seizures- I know." He shakes his head, "That doesn't change the fact that seeing her like that is painful."

Padme notices the subtle shake in his shoulders and she knows he is trying not to cry. He always tries to be strong and tries to act the way he thinks men have to act. But right now, he's a son afraid for his mother. Padme wraps her arms around him and pulls him close, his head drops and she feels the first drop of tears on her arm, "It's okay, Ani." She says, rubbing his back and letting him know it's okay to cry.

"I should have known." He said, "I should have seen it. Noticed when it started." His shoulders shake with his words.

"You couldn't have known," Padme insisted, "It's hard to detect a tumor until something happens."

"I'm a doctor. A surgeon. I should be able to heal her."

She strokes his hair gently, "We can't fix everything." She said. "Maybe Dr. Farr will see something her other doctors have missed. Maybe something can be done."

He shakes his head, "There isn't." He said, "I've seen the scans. We caught it too late." He pulls back and takes a deep breath, wiping his eyes as he tries to compose himself.

Padme takes his hand in both of hers. He is obviously in no condition where he should perform surgeries and she was sure Plo Koon already requested that his surgeries be rescheduled or given to Ben. As for hers, as much as she wanted to stay and wait with him, she had her own patients she had to take care of. "You can go if you have to." He said.

"I can stay."

He shakes his head, "Go, tend to your patients." He said, turning to meet her eyes, "I'll be fine."

Padme looked into his eyes for several moments checking to see if he really would be fine. She sighed, "Fine," She agreed, "But go get your stuff from wherever you've been hiding it." She said moving her hand to stroke his cheek, "You're staying at my place."

"You don-"

"Ani," She cut him off, "I want you to."

He nodded his head once, "Alright."

Padme leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his cheek, "I'll be back," She said.

[][][][]

Ben smiled as he finished talking to his patient, giving her a kurt nod before he turned and walked back into the hallway. He saw Padme was standing by the nurse's station, her head bowed and focused on the chart in front of her. "Morning, Padme." He greeted.

She jumped slightly but turned to give him a small smile, "Hi, Ben." She said.

He came to stand next to her and leaned against the counter, "Do you know why I got stuck with Anakin's patients today?"

"You haven't heard?" Ben raised a brow and shook his head. Padme let out a sigh, "Shmi is here." She said, "She has an inoperable brain tumor."

Ben's eyes widened, "I had no idea it was that serious." He said, "Is he alright?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so. Did you know he's been living here?"

He nodded, "I knew he didn't want to go home. But I figured he would eventually go home to spend what time he has left with her."

Padme let out a sigh, "I'm worried." She admitted, "His mother means everything to him. What will happen when…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I know." Ben said, "How are you holding up?"

"What do you mean by that?" Padme asked.

He gave a shrug, "He's been hiding this since the two of you got back in contact, it can't be easy knowing he's kept this big secret."

She shakes her head and fiddles with the tablet in front of her, "How could he keep this a secret?" She asks, "Doesn't he trust me?"

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder, "I don't think trusting you is the issue."

"Then what is? And why was he living here? Why didn't he rent an apartment?"

He let his hand drop, "His stepfather is a farmer." He said simply, "Anakin served two tours of duty before he came back and found out his mother was sick. Mos Eisley Medical Center is not equipped to care for his mother's condition so he helped them move here. Bought them a house even. And between that, Shmi's medical bills, and taking care of himself," Ben shook his head, "He can't afford it all. Staying here was the cheapest option for him- had to sneak around a bit, but it was necessary."

Padme let out a sigh. She was still trying to come to grips with Shmi's condition and how Anakin had handled it. It was all a shock to her, but she couldn't bring herself to focus only on how she felt about his lies. She knows none of this is easy to talk about and he has never been someone who talks about problems- it's just a product of where he grew up. Right now, she has to be there for him. He can't go through this alone- she won't let him do this alone anymore.

[][][][]

His stepfamily moved over to him when he returned from changing out of his scrubs and retrieving his stuff. They had tried to be comforting but he wasn't really listening to them. There was nothing they could say to him that he hasn't heard already. When Padme returned with Dr. Farr, he knew they had news. He stood and made his way over to them.

Onaconda Farr was a close friend of Padme's and was one of the best in the field. When Padme had started her neurofellowship, he was her mentor. He was one of the reasons he chose to relocate his mother to the area in the first place- she would have access to him if it was nessesary.

"Well?" Owen asked, gripping the back of his father's wheelchair tightly.

"We've given her medication for her recent seizures." He started, "We've admitted her and would like her to stay for just a few days to ensure she hasn't suffered any more difficulties and to monitor her in case she has another episode." He explained.

Owen glanced at Anakin, waiting to see if he had anything to add but he remained silent, "That's… good." Owen said, "When will she go home?"

"We hope it will only be three days," Padme said, "But it could be longer if she has another seizure. Each one there is a greater risk of brain damage." She focused her attention on Anakin as she spoke.

"Is surgery an option?" Cliegg asked, his arms resting on his lap, "I know everyone says it's inoperable but… is it really? Can't you do something?"

Farr shook his head, "Unfortunately, the location of the tumor makes it nearly impossible to get it all."

"But you can get it, right?" Owen asked, stepping forward slightly, "If you can do something, why-"

"Because it could kill her." Anakin said, staring at his stepbrother out of the corner of his eye, "Even if they got close to it, one false move and she could end up blind, paralyzed, mentally impaired, or dead. There's too much risk."

Padme could see the tension between Anakin and Owen, "Why don't I take you up to see her," She offers, "She's a little drowsy from the medication, but you can come say goodnight."

Owen nods his head immediately, "Please." He asks, moving his hands to the handles on his father's chair.

Anakin shakes his head; "I'll just see her in the morning." He says.

Padme takes Anakin's arm, "Alright, then Dr. Farr can take you to Shmi's room," She says to Owen and his father and girlfriend, "And I just need to grab my things and we can go," She directs the last part to Anakin who merely nods his head and lets her lead him up to the lounge. He leans against the wall while she changes in the bathroom. He meets her eyes when she comes back into the room, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He says.

Padme folds her jacket over her arm and leans against the wall with him, "That day that you were suppose to go see her. She wasn't acting normally then, was she? That's why you came in to do that surgery." Anakin nodded his head and looked away, "Why did you lie to me?" She asked, "You know I would have listened. You know I would understand-"

"That's not the reason." Anakin said, leaning his head back so his head bumped the wall softly, "If I don't talk about it…" His head drops to his chest and he takes a shaky breath. It takes him a few moments before he lets out a sigh, "If I don't talk about it, I can pretend things are alright." He says, "I came home because she was sick." He said, "I came here because I thought that maybe someone could help her- that someone would tell me they could do something." He shakes his head, "I've gotten the same answer every time, and she is getting worse."

Padme watches him closely and he just looks so… broken. She can tell how hard it is for him to talk. She sees the way his back stiffen and how he pauses and forces himself to speak. She is glad that he is telling her what he is thinking. Ben had told her about how he couldn't even get him to say more than a few sentences about it. Padme wants him to confide in her more. She knows there is more bothering him about his mother than he's already told her. She knows there is tension between him and his stepfamily, but she isn't going to push right now. She nods her head and moves herself so she can wrap her arm around his waist, "Lets go home." She says, stretching up to press a soft kiss to his cheek. He smiles down at her and wraps his arm around her as they leave the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello! I have been writing this story like crazy! I have outlines for the next couple chapters and have started drafting chapter 10 so I am hoping to get those finished soon.

As always, Enjoy!

-DFD

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Chapter 9

Opening the door to the apartment, she let Anakin enter and watched as he took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He's been here enough times that it's almost routine. He moved over to the couch where he deposited his duffle bag, Padme moved from where she stood and moved to pick up the bag. Flashing him a smile over her shoulder she took the bag into her bedroom and placed it on the left side of the bed.

Anakin leaned on the doorframe with a furrow in his brow, "What are you-"

"You don't think I'm going to let you sleep on the couch, do you?"

To say he was surprised is an understatement. He can't tell if she is doing this because she really wants him in her bed, or if she just feels sorry for him, "Are you sure?" He asks, "Because I don't mind. I don't want you to do this unless-"

"Ani," She interrupts, coming to stand directly in front of him she takes his hands in hers, "It's alright. I don't mind." She says, "It's not like we haven't before," Padme drops her gaze a moment before she looks up into his eyes, "We're just sleeping." She says, clarifying the grounds of the arrangement vocally, "It really isn't a big deal." He doesn't mind. He already knew that those would be the terms even before she let him stay here. He nods his head and she smiles at him, "You pick what to watch tonight," She says. And he takes her and they set up Netflix before settling on the couch to watch a few episodes before bed.

Anakin can't focus on the show for the life of him. He can't stop thinking about his mother. He hates seeing her the way she is and he hates what she says. He knows it's not really her talking. He knows it's the tumor making her act the way she does. But that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Some days, when it gets really bad, like today, he wishes the tumor would just kill her already. If she died, it would mean she wouldn't suffer anymore, he wouldn't have to listen to her yell at him anymore, and he wouldn't have to explain to Owen and Cliegg why nothing can be done. But every time he thought like this, he hated himself for it. How could he possibly think her death could be a good thing? Shaking his head he tries to focus on the show just for a little bit.

They watch about four episodes before they decide to call it a night. Padme changed into a pair of sweat pants and a loose fitting tee shirt that Anakin recognized. "Isn't that the shirt I got you when we went to the National Cup?"

Padme smiled, "2012, Naboo Royals beat Cato Neimoidia Viceroys 2-0."

Anakin reached behind his back and pulled his shirt off. He remembered that game. It was on the short weekend they called a honeymoon. He got them tickets to see the championship football game because it was Padme's team. "I remember that we argued over whether to call it 'soccer' or 'football'." He said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes as they climbed into bed, "Not much of an argument when 90% of the world calls it 'football'."

He can't help the light laugh that comes out. The memory of the game is one of the many good things that happened to them when they were together before. Thinking about it now gives his mind a momentary break from his mother. He comes to rest on his side facing her, his elbow supporting his head. They stare at each other for several moments, both of them realizing this is the first time he is staying the night.

Padme had actually hoped that the first time he stayed over it would be when she was ready to start a physical relationship with him again. She wanted to- she has never denied the physical attraction between them since she started dating him- but she was still not ready to take that step and the timing right now is just horrible for Anakin. She knows that the new sleeping arrangements will test both of their willpower, but she trusts Anakin won't push her and that he will make sure she is absolutely ready before anything happens. He has said more times than she can recall that he really wants them to last, and she wants that too. She flashes him a smile, "I love you."

He leans towards her and kisses her lips softly, "I love you too," He says when they pull apart, "Goodnight."

"Night." She returns, turning so her back is to him and lying down.

[][][][]

The shrill buzz of her alarm began it's incessant beeping at 5:30 like it always does. Padme buried her head in her pillow and shifted back into the warmth that was pressed against her. A furrow appeared in her brow as she realized there was a weight on her waist. Bringing her hand down, she found a large hand connected to a strong forearm that was wrapped securely around her waist. Turning to see what it was, she realized the arm was Anakin's. It takes her a moment to realize this isn't a dream and for her to remember why he is here, but being this close to him brings a smile to her face.

She watches as he sleeps through the alarm and can't help but wonder how he ever managed to make it anywhere on time. He looks so peaceful despite the emotional baggage he carries. His nose scrunches and his brow furrows as he lets out a low groan before his eyes open. "Are you going to turn that off?"

"Sorry," She says, reaching over to hit the snooze button before turning back to him. She doesn't want to get up now. And he seems to agree with her because he doesn't move his arm from around her. "Did you sleep well?"

He shakes his head, "I haven't slept well in years."

Padme furrows her brow, "Why not?"

He shrugs, "Bad dreams… memories, actually." The way she looks at him tells him she is waiting for more. He lets out a light sigh, "Memories from before I came back."

"You mean… when you were over there." He nods and lets his eyes drift away from her. Padme shifts in his arms slightly and her eyes fall on the faint scars she can see on his torso. He doesn't talk about it. And she doesn't push him to talk about it. Sometimes she forgets that he ever went on two tours of duty before he came back, mainly because she has only seen the scars twice. Her eyes rise up and she finds he is watching her closely.

His thumb draws circles on her hips and he sighs, "When I first got there, the convoy that was taking me to base hit an IED." He shakes his head, "This was just after I finished training too, so it was pretty scary… the three other guys in the car with me, one was dead and the other two were in pretty bad shape. One of them snapped their neck so I had to be pretty fast if I wanted to relieve pressure on their spine and prevent paralysis. The other guy had a hole in his stomach the size of a baseball and was bleeding badly."

Padme watched him take a deep breath and she placed her hand on his arm, "You don't have to say any more."

He shakes his head, "I…I want to." He says, "Ben's the only other person that knows what happened over there and I want to tell you." Padme gives his arm an encouraging squeeze and let him continue, "I didn't have much with me at the time. I had a small medical bag with a bunch of gauges, gloves, suture kit, surgical tools… but no anesthesia. I had to get these guys out of the truck, find a defendable position, and patch these guys up with what I had. Stabilizing the one with the broken neck was easier. He screamed once when I put a brace on it, but that was it. The other one…" Padme watches him take a shaky breath and feels his fingers grip her hip tighter, "He screamed the entire time. I had to sit on him and hold him down with my weight while I pulled out what I could. It got so bad at times he begged me to let him die… there were times I wanted to just so he wouldn't scream. But I did it. I did it all by myself and I sat with them for hours until they found us and got us to base." He lets out a small chuckle; "I didn't even know I had a piece of shrapnel in my arm until I got there."

Padme eyes the long scar along his shoulder and brings her fingers to trace it. She thinks about how each of his scars has a story like that. And she can't imagine what it was like to live through it all. She isn't even certain how he lived through it. Anakin has always been such a sweet and loving person and he has been through hell. Someone like him doesn't deserve that. "I'm sorry," She whispers. She isn't sure what else she can say.

"What are you sorry for?" He brings his hand to cup her jaw and force her to look at him.

"I don't know." She says, "None of that should have happened to you." She says.

He gives a shrug, "And yet it did." He says as if the story he just told her wasn't as traumatizing as it sounded, "We can't change it. And I honestly don't want to."

"How can you say that?"

Anakin smiles at her and pulls her mouth to his, pressing their mouths together passionately. He pulls back just enough so their foreheads are still touching, "It made me the man I am now." He flashes her a smile, "It made me the man I want to be for you."

Padme drags her hand up to his face and strokes his cheek, closing her eyes and savoring the contact between them. She opens her mouth to speak but the shrill sound of her alarm blares again. With a loud groan she looks over and sees that its already 6:00. They both only have an hour before they have to be at work.

"Time to get up, I guess," He says, a small smirk on his face.

She rolls her eyes and pulls the pillow out from under her head and swats him with it before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom to get ready.

[][][][]

The two of them stand outside the room unmoving. Padme leans forward slightly so she can see his face. It's blank and hard to read, but she knows he is debating whether he should go in or not. She glances at her watch subtly, she has to check on other patients as well as Shmi, but she also doesn't want Anakin to put off seeing his mom either.

"Ani," She starts, "Just go in and say 'hi,' you don't have to stay long, just show that you care."

He takes a deep breath and nods his head before he goes in, Padme close behind. He doesn't enter the room very far, standing in the space between the bed and the door. Shmi is awake and looks to be in much better spirits today. Mother and son exchange glances but neither say anything for a long time. Padme waits on her neuro exam to see how this moment plays out.

Shmi is the first to speak, "It was the tumor talking again, wasn't it?"

Anakin nods his head, "I know you don't mean any of it."

His mother shook her head, "No, no, no," She says, "just because you know I don't really think that, doesn't mean that hearing it hurts you any less." She says, "I'm sorry, Ani. I wish you didn't have to see all of this."

He gives a shrug, "I see stuff like this everyday," He says, "I work here, I see everything from a broken leg to neurological episodes."

Shmi smiles and holds out her arms to him and he is quick to take long strides to reach her. Sitting on the edge of her bed he falls into his mother's embrace, "I love you to the stars and back," She says, kissing the top of his head.

The two of them spend a long time talking. Padme finishes her exam quickly so she can give them time to talk. She leaves them alone for a while so she can check on her other patients. By the time she returns, Anakin has a bright smile on his face as he talks to his mother enthusiastically. Padme waits outside the room when she hears he is talking about her. She can't help but want to know what he is saying, so she moves herself off to the side so he can't see her.

"You think I'm crazy." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, never!" Shmi lets out a small chuckle, "Maybe just a little," She admits.

He laughs and shakes his head, "Well, maybe I am crazy. I'm crazy without her in my life."

Shmi points a finger at him, "Now you're just being cheesy."

He shrugs, "Cheesy, but no less true." Anakin looks down at the sheet he is sitting on and plays with a lose string, "I'm miserable without her." He says.

Shmi raised a brow at him, "It didn't work the first time." She reminds him, "You married her, and while I thought you rushed things, I didn't care because you were happy… but then she divorced you after a year."

"You know why she did that." Anakin argued, "And you're right, we did rush things. But we're not doing that this time. We're dating… taking it slow and working things out."

His mother shakes her head, "Why are you so drawn to her?" She asks, placing her hand on his, "I'm not judging, I just want to know what makes her so special."

He smiles, "I love her." He says, "She's kind, passionate, ambitious, strong willed, charitable," He chuckles a little and meets his mother's eyes, "She can't cook if her life depended on it, she is a workaholic, she sings badly in the car… She's perfect… I can't imagine my life without her." He lets out a sigh, "You told me once that everyone has one great love. You found yours with Cligg. And I know Padme is mine. She is my one great love, and I'm not going to screw this up again."

Shmi looks at her son carefully, "You're certain?"

"Yes." He responds immediately.

She nods her head and grips Anakin's hand in hers tightly, "Then whether I have a fit again or not, and whether I'm here or not… keep your foot in that door until she slams it on you."

It isn't long until Anakin hugs his mother goodbye and promises to come see her before he leaves. Padme moves quickly to hide by the nurse's station until he is gone before she tries to make her way down the hall, "You can come in now," Shmi calls out into the hall. Padme's eyes widen and her shoulders hunch. Busted. Slowly, she backtracks to enter the room, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket, "you heard what Ani said about you." She stated, "You know how much he cares about you. You know how far he wants to take things." Shmi shifted to lean towards her, "Don't break his heart again."

Padme shook her head vigorously, "I-I wasn't planning to." She said, "I… I want it to workout too."

Shmi sat back in her bed and nodded her head, "Good. Then I need you to do something for me."


	10. Chapter 10

Ironically I wrote this chapter in the hospital while my sister was being induced (first nephew YAY!). No baby yet but I assume it will happen tomorrow so chances are I will get at least 2 more chapters posted before D-Day.

In addition to this update, I am also working on the prequel to this story AND I already have plans for a sequel (that is if I don't decide to just keep it all as one giant story... still debating that one). The prequel takes place during Padme's intern year and while Anakin is in his last year of medical school. This means more insight into their beautiful yet short lived romance and marriage.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 10

The waiting room was half full when he walked over to the nurse's station on the main floor. Leaning over the counter he grabbed a tablet and pulled up his patients, checking on a chart to make sure the interns monitored her properly. Looking up he saw Owen walking towards him. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

Owen stuffs his hands in his pockets, "Dad's here to get his prostatic fitted." He said, "And we were going to see mom after."

Anakin nods his head, but both of them are silent and neither is sure how to continue, "Alright then," Anakin starts, "Hope that goes well." Anakin tries to leave but Owen calls out to him.

"Wait," He says, "Why… is it so hard for us to just talk?" He asks, "I mean, we're brothers-"

"Stepbrothers." Anakin corrects.

"What difference does that make?"

Anakin sighs, and rests his tablet on the counter, "Your dad married my mom." He said, "He makes her happy, which is what I want for her. After everything that happened with my dad, she deserves that." He shakes his head, "But none of that means you're my family. I get that you and your dad want a relationship with me, but I don't."

Owen lets out a small laugh, "I don't get you at all." He says, "What is so wrong with letting us in?"

Anakin lets out a sigh and looks him in the eye; "If you want me to let you in, if you want me to act like your brother and treat your dad like my dad; you're about ten years too late. The dream of having the perfect dad and the perfect childhood died when I was fifteen. Nothing you or your dad can do will change that." Anakin glanced at his watch and started to back away, "Excuse me."

[][][][]

The patient was recovering nicely and Ben was pleased to see she was already awake, though still drowsy from the medication. He smiled at her as he finished his exam and left her to rest. Anakin was leaning against the wall when he came out of the room, "Something wrong?" He asks.

Anakin gives a shrug, "Not really," He said, glancing down at his chart, "You took my surgery." He said.

Ben gave a shrug, "I figured with everything going on-"

"You don't steal my surgeries just because I had a bad day." He said, "Which one of us is the head of cardio?"

"You are," Ben answered, "But it was more than just a bad day." He argued, "Your mother is sick; I did what I thought was best for the patient."

Anakin pushes off from where he is standing and moves to tower over him, "You think I can't do my job?"

"I never said that. I just thought you'd want to spend time with your mother."

He shook his head and pointed his finger at him, "You don't decide that for me."

Ben raised his hands, "You think I overstepped-"

"You did overstep."

"But I had good reason to." He said, "You have a lot on your plate right now, I just wanted to help."

Anakin grabbed Ben's tablet and checked his OR schedule, "You have a valve replacement today, I'm taking it. You can do that appy Organa asked someone to do for him." Without another word, he handed the tablet back and walked away.

Ben let out a heavy sigh; he could tell things were going to be tense for him so long as his mother was in the hospital. He needed to talk to Padme and make sure she keeps an eye on him to make sure he isn't pushing himself too hard and to ensure he is in a good place emotionally to do his job. He's worried for him.

[][][][]

"You want me to do what?" Padme asked. She could not have heard what Shmi said correct. There was no way she would ask her to perform a surgery with only a 5% success rate.

Shmi smiled, and took Padme's hand, "I know why you don't want to remove the tumor." She said, "But I can't live like this anymore. I can't keep hurting Ani like this. It needs to end." Padme opened her mouth to protest, but Shmi ignored her, "If you can get the tumor out and I live, all the better. But if I die, then at least he won't have to see me like that anymore."

"Shmi, I can't." Padme said, "It would kill him if you died."

"It is killing him every time I snap at him and compare him to his father." Shmi looked at Padme and let out a sigh, "How much has he told you about him?"

She shook her head, "Nothing." She said, "I know they only met twice, but he didn't tell me anything else. I know he hates him though."

Shmi nodded her head, "You would too if you met him, believe me." She said with a smile that quickly died, "Ani has worked so hard not to be like his father. For me to say he is… it hurts him so much."

Padme shakes her head, "I can't." She said, "On any other patient with this condition, I would never advocate this surgery. Your tumor is too far progressed."

She nodded her head, "Yes, yes, I've heard this story at every doctor I've seen. I know how bad it is." She said, "And I don't expect to come out of it alive."

Padme let out a sigh and moved so she was half sitting on the bed, "If you don't expect to live, then why do you want to go through with it?"

She smiled at her, "If you can get it out with minimal damage, that will be fantastic and I will owe you a debt that I could never possibly repay. But if I die, it's a win-win situation."

"Except that you very well could end up dead," Padme reminded her. "Let's say I do the surgery." She starts, "If I end up killing you, what do you think that will do to Anakin?" She asked, "Do you think he would be happy to see you dead? Do you think he would forgive me for killing you?"

Shmi let out a tired sigh, "Padme, my death would be painful for him, I can't argue that. But the pain will fade in time." She squeezed her hand tightly, "As for you, I trust that you will fight for me more than any other surgeon. So even if the odds are only 5% like you said, I will go out knowing you gave it everything, that you tried to keep me going even after you're suppose to call it."

Padme shook her head, "I can't believe you're asking me to do this." She said, "Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes I am. Just before you wheel me off to the OR."

She let out a tired sigh; she can't do this. She can't do this to Anakin's mother of all people. Padme knows seeing his mother when the tumor is talking is painful for him, it is disturbing to her too, but what can she do about it? Dr. Farr would never do a surgery like this, how can she?

Shmi squeezed her hand again, "Go and think about it." She said, "But I would like consent papers right now I don't want the tumor to change my mind for me." Padme nodded her head and went to retrieve the papers and Shmi signed them without question. She even filed a Do Not Revive. She was serious about this. Padme posted the DNR sign on the door and on her monitors before giving the woman a small smile before leaving with the paperwork tucked neatly under her arm. She can't do this.

"Padme."

She turned sharply, tucking the paperwork behind her back before she relaxed, and saw it was only Ben, "You startled me," She said.

"Apologies," He said, "I was hoping I could catch you before you before my appy."

Padme raised a brow, "You took Organa's appy?"

Ben sighed, "More like your boyfriend gave it to me." He said and she laughed, "I was hoping I could talk to you about him, actually."

She let out an exhausted sigh, "I already told Dorme, just because he's living with me does not mean we're having sex."

He raised a hand, "Uh, I wasn't going to ask about that… but I will spread the word for you so the gamblers will leave you alone." He said, "I'm actually worried about him."

"Worried? Because of his mother?"

He nodded, "Yes. I just… I think you should keep an eye on him. This is obviously a delicate situation for him. I think he needs someone by his side through this."

Padme nodded her head, "Of course," She said.

Ben leaned over to the side, getting a small glimpse of the papers behind her, "What are you hiding?"

She lets out a sigh as she shows him the consent forms, "Shmi wants me to try to remove the tumor."

"That would kill her."

"That's what I told her." Padme said, starting to walk down the hall with Ben at her side, "I don't want to do it, but she is asking me,"

"You have a right to refuse treatment if it is too great a risk."

She sighed and shook her head, "I know that."

Ben stuffed his hands in his pockets, "You're considering it."

She nodded her head, "The reasons she gave… they make sense. But if I do it and she dies, Anakin would never forgive me." She lets out an awkward laugh, "She seems to think he will though."

He gives a shrug, "Maybe he will." He turns his head to look at her, "If this were a cardio procedure and the patient wants to do a risky procedure, Anakin would do it. This should be no different."

She shakes her head, "Yeah, well I don't take risks like that." She said, "With procedures like this, where the odds are so low, I only take the risk if I am confident I can do it. I don't think I can."

Ben moves to block her path, standing directly in front of her, "Is that because of the risk? Or because its Anakin's mother?" He shakes his head, "You wouldn't be considering it if there wasn't even the slightest chance that you could do it. Look at the scans again- have Farr look at them again. And if there is a chance, maybe you should take it."

"What about Anakin?"

He shrugs, "He'll be angry; angry that you did the surgery, angry if she dies… Maybe it will end things with him… or maybe this will bring you both closer."

She scoffs, "How would me killing his mom bring me closer to him?"

"It's a test." He said, "You both know how she is suffering- him more than anyone. And you both know that you will fight to keep her alive if you can. He knows you won't just give up until the very end."

Padme shakes her head, "Sounds like a pretty crappy test then."

Ben smiles at her, "Perhaps, but it's not like you have to take it." He looks down at his watch, "Just take care of Anakin," He says before he turns and walks away to do his appendectomy.

[][][][]

Padme spent the rest of the day with Dr. Farr going over Shmi's scans. At first they both agreed the risk was too great. But at closer inspection they saw there was a chance- a small chance, but it was still there. The two of them sat huddled over piles of research and even ordered new scans on Shmi so they have a more recent image of the tumor to examine. They had been so absorbed in the work that Padme even ran down to Anakin who was working on a valve replacement to tell him to take the apartment key from her purse because she was working late. He had rolled his eyes at her but agreed they would see each other back home.

By the end of the day, they concluded that an aggressive surgery gave her a chance- and that if Shmi wanted it, it was worth it. They spent a few extra hours coming up with the beginnings of a plan before deciding to call it a night. They would tell Shmi the news in the morning. But Padme was going home to her son… Farr suggested keeping it quiet until tomorrow, and while she agreed that was the best protocol, she hated the deception.

Walking through the front door she kicks off her shoes and lets out a tired sigh as she stretches her tired limbs and makes her way deeper into her apartment. She forgot to eat dinner and was starving she can't wait the few hours before breakfast. Opening the cabinet she pulls a bag of chip and takes a bottle of water out of the fridge. Sitting at the small island she opens the bag and starts to eat. She doesn't Hear the footsteps behind her and jumps when she feels arms wrap around her waist and lips press gently into her neck, "What are you doing up?" She asks.

He smirks into her neck, "I heard you come home," He said, "You sound tired." He drags his hands up her spine to her shoulders and kneads them softly.

She moans at the feeling and leans into it, "You're tired too," She points out.

"Yeah, but I didn't just get home at one in the morning." He says, the humor in his voice evident. Leaning forward he presses a soft kiss to her neck, "Let's go to bed." He says. Padme reaches into the bag of chips and takes out a handful before rising from her seat and letting Anakin wrap his arm around her and walks with her to the bedroom. Padme is so tires she doesn't even bother changing into her pajamas, opting just to sleep in the shirt she has on and her underwear. Climbing into bed, she leans over to Anakin who was currently on his side facing her. Leaning over him she presses her lips to his, his hand coming to cup her cheek as she deepens the kiss and he responds. They pull back after a moment, and she runs her fingers through his hair, "I love you." She says.

He smiles at her and kisses her again, "I love you," He says but Padme shakes her head.

"I mean it," She says, "I love you. Please, just remember that. I love you."

He furrows his brow and sits up, his hand coming to cradle her neck, "What's brought this on?"

She shakes her head, "I just want you to know," She says, "I truly, deeply love you." Anakin isn't sure how to respond to this. He could tell something was bothering her, he imagines it must be something that happened at the hospital- something a patient said maybe- so he does the only thing he can do. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he shifts so he can lie down and Padme turns away from him but stays in his hold. Wrapping his arms around her he holds her tightly, providing what comfort he can.

[][][][]

The next morning when they came into the hospital, Padme told him that Dr. Farr wanted to talk to him and his mother about her tumor. He had tried to get her to explain more, but she said that she had to talk to Farr before pre-ops. Anakin was worried what her silence on the matter meant, but he would find out soon enough. He made his way to his mother's room where he found Cliegg, Owen and his girlfriend, Beru already waiting. His mother smiled at him and he saw she was still in a good mood this morning.

Padme and Dr. Farr entered a few minutes later. "I'm glad you could all make it," Farr started, "Dr. Amidala and I have done extensive research on your tumor and we think there is a slight chance that we might be able to take it out."

Shmi smiled, "That's wonderful," She said, "When can we do that?"

"Hold on, mom," Anakin interrupted, "What do you mean by slight?" His eyes were trained on Padme, the disappointment evident in his eyes.

Padme shifted where she stood, "Originally, the surgery has a 5% survival chance."

"Yes, I know that." Anakin interrupts, "That's why surgery is not an option."

"But after looking at the scans and research again, we have found that there is a way to get to the tumor. It's small, but it increases the survival chance to about 7%." Padme glances at Farr for a moment, "Dr. Farr thinks its worth the risk, and I agree."

Anakin shakes his head, "No," He says, "No surgery, that is out of the question."

"Anakin," Shmi starts but Anakin cuts her off.

"You will die." He says, "You will die if you go through with it."

Owen places his hand on his shoulder, "But she might not." He says, "It's a small shot, but it's still there."

Anakin pulls away from him roughly; "You don't have a say in this." He says, rounding on Padme, "How could you of all people think this is a good idea?"

"Because there is a chance." She says, "She wants this."

He shakes his head, "I won't sign the consent forms."

Padme sighed, "You don't have to. She already did." Padme showed him the form she signed yesterday. The look on his face is one of betrayal and she can't help but feel that that is exactly what she did, "Ani, she wants this," She whispers.

"Who will be doing the surgery?" He asks.

Padme glances at Farr and he nods his head, "We both will." He answers, "If I have any chance, I need the best by my side."

Anakin looks at Padme for the entire time and several moments after, his mind still processing what was happening. When she reached for his arm he pulled back and left the room. Padme watched him leave and one look from Farr told her she could go. Racing after him she called his name several times but he kept walking.

"Ani-"

"How could you?" He demands, "You're basically agreeing to kill my mother."

"Ani…" Padme tries to grab his arm again but he backs away from her. She lets out a sigh, "I didn't want to do it at first."

"Then why?"

She gives a shrug, "She asked me to." She says, "I looked at the scans again, and told myself 'no' because of all of these reasons but they all boiled down to 'because she's your mother'." Padme shakes her head, "When I looked at them with Farr, I realized that there is a chance. Shmi knows the risks. She knows she could die. But the tumor will kill her eventually anyway."

"So you don't even care that you could kill her, all because 'she'll die eventually'."

"Of course I care!" Padme all but shouts, reaching for his arms she grasps his sleeves and doesn't let go, "I care that this is your mother I'm operating on. I care that you might hate me if she dies. I care that this might ruin everything we have." She takes a deep shaky breath and blinks back the tears that are threatening to fall, "But I can't give less than what I would normally give to my other patients. If there is a chance, and they want to take it… I have to try." She lets out a sigh and shakes her head, "You're not thinking about this right."

He scoffs, "And how am I thinking about this then?"

"You're thinking like a family member." She says, "You're not thinking about this like a surgeon."

"I am family-"

"But you're also a surgeon," She interrupts, "You know what it's like, you do high risk surgeries almost as often as I do them."He tries to pull away but she holds on tightly to his coat, "I love you." She says, "I love you and I don't want to hurt you… but I have to do my job." She lets go of his sleeves and he starts to walk away again, "If it were my father," She calls, "If it were my father lying on your table with a small chance to live, would you do what I'm doing?" She sees him stop in his tracks at the scenario presented but he neither turns nor says anything. After a moment's hesitation he starts walking again.

Dr. Farr comes to stand behind her and places a hand on her shoulder. He doesn't say anything. No reassuring words, nothing to distract her from what very well might have been a silent break up. She takes a moment to compose herself before turning to Farr and nodding her head, "Let's, uh… let's work on finishing that plan."


	11. Chapter 11

Well, my sister had her baby boy YAY! Spent 14 hours in a waiting room while she waited for a c section and this is what I did during that time. Updates may be a little slower from here on out, but I will try to get them out when I can.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 11

Shmi remained in the hospital for several weeks after deciding to go through with the surgery. As the operation was extremely high risk, Dr. Farr decided that they needed more time to come up with a complete surgical plan while they continued to monitor the tumor daily. Shmi's husband and stepson visited everyday but Padme saw Anakin less and less as the days became weeks. He still stayed in her apartment, but the time that they once reserved for spending time together became time spent apart. Their relationship had obviously hit a massive bump that it seemed they wouldn't get over until all of this ends.

When Padme returned to the bedroom after changing she saw him pulling his shirt off and climb into bed silently. It has been like this for three weeks and she is tired of the silence between them. "Anakin," She tries, but he merely shifts to lie on his side facing away from her, "Anakin, please talk to me." He still remains silent and she sighs as she gets into bed as well. He still won't talk to her, "Ani-"

"What do you want me to say?" He asks, shifting to lie on his back, his gaze focused on her ceiling.

"Just say something," She says, "I hate this rift between us."

"There wouldn't be one if you weren't so determined to operate on my mother."

Padme lets out a tired sigh, "I can't say no now," She argues, "The surgery is in two days. Farr and I have been working on this for weeks-"

"And despite your best efforts, she could still die," His voice is laced with venom as he says the words, "I know you think you're doing the right thing, but you're not." He turns his head to look at her, "My mom doesn't know what she's getting herself into. She has a brain tumor, how do you know she isn't making this decision because of the tumor?"

"Because I talk to her everyday to assess that." She says, "I've been a neurosurgeon for four years. I know when a tumor is talking and this isn't that." Padme shifts to rest on her elbow, "She asked me about surgery. I gave her the information I had, asked her all the questions I had to and explained the risks." She explains, "believe me, she knows what she is doing."

Anakin shakes his head before turning away from her. He is done talking for tonight. With a sigh, her head falls back to the pillow, staring at the ceiling. She hates what this surgery is doing to her relationship but how can she tell Shmi 'no' after everything the woman told her? The tumor is hurting Anakin and in the weeks Shmi has been in the hospital she has seen how bad Shmi can get. And with her and Anakin not being on the best of terms at the moment, it makes it difficult for her to get him to open up to her like he had about the scars. She missed that. She missed how much he wanted to trust her. She takes one last glance at Anakin's back before turning away and going to sleep.

[][][][]

Padme stood next to Dr. Farr as they looked over their plan for the last time. It was the day of the surgery. The plan they had was the only thing they could come up with considering all of the blood vessels and brain matter the tumor invaded. This approach provided the least amount risk but was still aggressive enough to remove it. "Are you ready?" Farr asked.

"Of course."

Farr moved to stand in front of her, "Are you absolutely sure?" He knew things were rough between her and Anakin- everyone knew. Dorme had asked her more times than anyone if they had broken up. They haven't- not officially anyway, it was just complicated right now.

"Ono, I can do this." She said.

Farr nodded, "Then lets get her prepped.

When she arrived at Shmi's room, Anakin was sitting beside her while the interns finished prepping her to move to the OR. Padme heard him ask her to reconsider but she refused. When Shmi's eyes met hers, Anakin turned to see her. She could tell he was on edge and she would be lying if she said she wasn't as well. The interns started to move the bed out the door and Padme followed along side it with Anakin spending what might be his last moments with his mother. Padme ignored their conversation. It wasn't her place to listen to what they were talking about.

Reaching the line that separated the rest of the hospital from the OR, Shmi gripped her son's hand in hers. She smiled up at him, "I know you don't like that I'm doing this."

"You don't have to do the surgery," Anakin said, "You can back out now if you want."

Shmi shakes her head, "If they get this tumor out, that will be the best possible outcome," She says, "But if I die-"

"Don't, please."

Shmi squeezes his hand tighter, "If I die… it is because it is my time to go. You have to let go of me if that happens. Promise me. Promise me you will let me go, and you will move forward with your life." She brings her hand to his jaw, "You are my beautiful boy and I love you. I have loved you from the moment your heart started beating, and I want you to have the life you always dreamed of." She smiled at him, "Save the lives you can. Get married. Have children, and grandchildren. Live. Don't dwell on my death. Promise me."

Anakin nods his head, "I promise." He leans down and kisses his mother's cheek, "I love you, mom."

She wraps her arms around his neck; "I love you to the stars and back." When she pulls back she squeezes his hand one last time before she is pushed into the OR.

Padme stays behind a moment and looks up at Anakin. She reaches out and touches his arm, "We'll do everything we can." She says. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and nods his head before backing away and making his way to the waiting room where Owen and Cliegg are.

Padme watches him leave before turning back to the OR and making her way to the scrub room.

[][][][]

The first two hours of the surgery were fairly standard. She and Farr cut into the scalp and pulled it back enough to reveal the top of the skull before removing the top of it to get access to the brain. From there Padme injected the tumor with a glowing dye to give them a better idea of what they are looking at. There was no doubt that this was the largest grade IV astrocytoma's she has ever seen. Carefully, Dr. Farr cut delicately into the brain matter to retract it enough to reach the tumor. Padme stood off to the side while Farr did the brunt of the work. With the tumor now visible, they examine the margins of the tumor and see where it is invading before going in and starting to cut.

The surgery is long and encounters several roadblocks from delicately avoiding arteries, cutting around vital neurological systems to clearing the optic nerve; the two of them do the best they can to keep her alive. With ten hours already passed and only half the tumor removed, Padme knows they are falling behind. She had taken over for him about five hours ago; stepping aside she lets Farr move back to pick things up. He moves slowly, trying to cut around the nerve and get as close as he can. "I can't get around it." He said, "If I keep going, I risk hitting the blood supply, but if I move laterally I risk severing the optic nerve." Farr pulls his hands back and reexamines where he has been. There is no way around it. Farr shakes his head, "I'm moving laterally," He concludes moving in make the cut. The heart monitor starts to beep erratically as a large spurt of blood comes out of the brain, "Damn it." He hisses as he tries to stop the bleeding as the heart monitors in the room started to beep erratically.

[][][][]

Anakin sat with his head buried in his hands as he waited in the waiting room with Owen, Breu and Cliegg. Ben had stopped by between surgeries a couple times to check on him but Anakin paid little attention to what he said. Most of the people who tried to talk to him he ignored in favor of listening to the rain that had started to downpour about three hours into the operation. His gaze shifted every hour or so between the door, his watch and the floor. Every time the doors to the OR opened his eyes shot up hopping to see either Farr or Padme with news of his mother. But he had been disappointed every time. This time when the doors opened and he saw both of them, he jumped to his feet and made to meet them about half way, his stepfamily following closely behind.

Padme opened her mouth to speak and it took her several seconds but he already knew. He took a hesitant step back, "Ani…" She started, but he only took another step back, "We did _everything_ we could." She said with a shake of her head. Anakin took a deep shaky breath before he turned and started to walk quickly away. "Anakin," She called as she followed him to the doors but he ignored her as he walked out into the rain. She followed him as far as the curb, ignoring the ice-cold rain that soaked through her scrubs, "Anakin!" She called again, watching as he mounted his motorbike and sped away.

Padme ran her hands through her wet hair when she walked back into the hospital. She saw Owen and Beru hugging Cliegg as he mourned for Shmi silently. Padme closed her eyes a moment to try and reign in her emotions before she made her way back up to meet with Farr. She found him in the room where they had started planning this operation. He was packing up scans and research materials, looking over each piece as if trying to find something they missed that would explain why it didn't work before putting it away.

He saw her out of the corner of his eye, "I'll finish up here," He said, "You should go home."

She shook her head, "No, I don't mind, really," She said,

Farr placed the book in his hand in a box before turning to her, "No, you need to go home." He said, "I shouldn't have asked you to scrub in on this." He said, "Not because you aren't a good surgeon- you are, one of the best even… but I put you in an impossible position between work and your personal life." Farr slumps down into a chair and runs his hands up and down his face, "You were right that the tumor could be removed… but I overestimated our ability to do it."

Padme sighed as she leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself, to try and warm up, "It's not your fault." She said, "I could have backed out and I didn't," She took a deep breath, "We can play the blame game for the rest of our lives but it doesn't change the fact that we lost."

Farr nodded his head and folded his hands in front of his mouth, "You should still go home." He said, "Or go find Dr. Skywalker; he shouldn't be alone right now."

Nodding her head, she left the room and went to gather her things and head out. Walking out to her car she tried calling him only to get his voicemail. She left a message for him to call her back and tried to figure out where he would go. There were several bars in the area she knew he liked to go to. With each bar she drove to she tried to call or text him but he never read any of her texts and she kept getting voicemail.

After about two hours of driving around the city looking for him, she made her way home hoping he was there. When she walked through the door, she found his key to the apartment sitting on the side table. In her bedroom she found that all of his things were gone and his cellphone was sitting on the nightstand.

He was gone.

* * *

Honestly, I had to make him do something that is almost as surprising as killing a tribe of sandpeople and leaving seemed to be the most appropriate given the history I put him through. This isn't even the worst thing I have planned for them... I realize now I have some weird fascination with torturing Anakin... no idea why, he is my favorite character and for some reason I like to make his life Hell... Bright side: It gets better... eventually


	12. Chapter 12

Hello! I am so excited to be at this point in the story. Anakin is gone and Padme is trying to figure things out. This is a very, very rough spot for both of them and we'll just have to wait and see how/if things get resolved at all.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 12

Padme sighed as she walked into her patient's room. He smiled at her while she fixed him with a stern look, "Mr. Kim," She greeted.

"Doctor," He returned, almost amused by the situation he found himself in.

She shook her head, "We have got to stop meeting like this." She said with a laugh.

He smiled, "I agree but you might want to pull the nails sticking out of my head first."

Padme walked over to the bed and began examining the back of his head, "How exactly did this happen?"

Kim gave a shrug, "It was an accident," He said, "I was doing some work on my roof and I fell back and landed on my nail gun." He winced when she pressed down around the tender area where the nails were.

"Sorry," She said, "I need to take you up to some x-rays to make sure they aren't hitting anything important and then we'll figure out how to get them out."

He let out a small laugh, "Why not just take my hammer and lift 'em out?"

Padme smiled and shook her head, "If it were that easy, I'd be out of a job." She picked up her chart and had her intern get him ready to get scanned; "I'll come back and check on you later." Leaving the room she started to walk down to the main nurse's station where Dorme was working today. Returning her tablet she let out a small groan and rubbed her eyes.

"Patient troubles?" Dorme asked, looking up from her monitor. Padme shook her head, "Still worried then," She concluded.

"Of course I'm worried," Padme said. It has been weeks since Anakin left. When she came into work the day after Shmi died, Ben had informed her that he resigned and when he called Owen about it, he had been told that what few things Anakin actually had in their house was gone.

Dorme reached across the counter and gripped her hand, "He's fine," She tried to assure. "He just needs time. He'll come back."

Padme shook her head, "If he was coming back I don't think he would have taken everything and left his phone." She pulled her hand free and rested her head in her hands, "He wasn't even at the funeral." She said.

"Funerals suck," Dorme said with a shake of her head, "You're basically saying 'goodbye' to someone who's already gone. Some people don't see the point. And some find the thing too painful to attend."

Padme picked up her head, "Yeah." She agreed, "I just wish I had a way to call him." With no phone to call, Padme had tried to think of everyone Anakin might contact so he at least knows she is looking for him. The thought of reporting him missing has crossed her mind, but Ben seems to agree with Dorme that he will come back when he is ready and not before. Padme glanced down at her watch. She has to go and see a patient before surgery. With a sigh she picks up a tablet and makes her way to the patient's room.

[][][][]

By the time she got home, Padme was exhausted. It has been a long time since she was this tired but sleep has not been easy to come by. Pulling out her phone again she looks through her recent calls and finds the numbers she has been calling almost religiously. Pressing the dial button she listens as the phone rings. The phone picks up by the third ring and the voice of a young man comes through, "Hi Padme, he's not here and I still haven't heard anything."

She lets out a small sigh, "Thanks, Kitster." She says, "Sorry for calling again." He tells her it's all right before they hang up. Kitster had always been a close friend of Anakin's since he was a child. It had taken her a while to find his phone number but once she did she had called and checked once every week before it quickly became a daily thing for her to do. Fortunately he is a good sport about it; otherwise she is sure he would tell her to leave him alone.

Picking up the phone again she tries another number. When Qui-Gon answered she got the same answer Kitster gave her. Padme resisted the urge to hurl her phone across the room. As far as she knows he could be dead by now. She has seen tragic deaths like that of his mother leave family members leaning on alcohol, drugs, gambling; she has seen them fall into depression, eating disorders, attempt suicide… the last thing she wants is for any of that to happen to Anakin. But he has been gone too long for her to be sure he is all right.

After trying a few more numbers and a long chat with her sister about it, Padme decided to call it a night. Curled up alone in her bed she wished she could do more than just try to call his friends and hope he goes to them. If she had any idea where he might go, she would take work off for the entire week and go find him herself. But he hasn't been to Mos Espa, hasn't been anywhere near Theed, Ben even asked around army recruiters to see if he tried to enlist again… He doubted Anakin would go back, he was so sure of it; but she wasn't convinced. If he did it once, he could do it again. Padme dreaded the thought that he could go back. She dreaded the thought that he could come back years later with more scars. She dreaded the thought that he could be killed. Closing her eyes she tries to get at least a little sleep before work tomorrow.

[][][][]

Padme walked through the door of the bar and took a seat at the counter next to Ben. He slid a glass of wine her way, which she thanked him for. He had invited her for a drink to help her loosen up a little. She has been moving from one stressful situation to the next every day for a month now and she needed to relax if only for a moment. Padme took a large swallow of the wine and let out a pleased sigh as she put the glass back down, "I've been looking forward to this," She said, "I had one of those patients that comes in with a list of questions she found on WebMD." Padme groaned, "If I ever meet the guy who made that site, I am going to punch him on behalf of the entire medical community." She took another smaller sip of her wine, "a headache does not mean you have a brain tumor."

Ben chuckled lightly as he drank his beer, "I know what you mean," He agreed, "I had this one patient a couple weeks ago he had a small heart murmur and he thought it meant he needed a heart transplant." Ben held up a hand, "It was a total miscommunication. Next think I know, he's called his entire family and they're all sitting in his room thinking he is going to die in the next 48 hours if he doesn't get a new heart." The two of them laughed uncontrollably at the story. Even on their darkest days, there are always moments like this that help make the dark times bearable.

Padme takes another sip of her wine, "I really need to get out more," She says, "I need to do stuff outside of work. I need a hobby that goes farther than just sitting in my sweatpants eating a bag of cheese puffs while reading a medical journal."

He shakes his head, "Honestly I can't imagine you of all people eating cheese puffs." He says, "I can't imagine you in sweat pants even."

She smiles, "Good," She said, "That means all the effort I put into it has paid off," She says, "It just so happens that is exactly what I have planned when I go home after this." Padme finishes her glass of wine and waves her hand to order another. Her finger skimmed along the rim of her glass, "You know," She started, "Before he came back… this is pretty much all I did when I wasn't working," She said, "I would work, grab a drink, go home and just…" Her voice trails off. Her life had been such a routine before Anakin and once he came into the picture, she did things she didn't think she had time for. They would go for a morning jog before work, go out to movies and dinner, walk around the city and do the simple things everyone else did. And when that became her new way of life, she never thought she would go back to her simple routine of drinks and medical journals. Padme lets out a sigh and shakes her head, "Have you even heard anything?"

Ben takes a long swallow of his drink and shakes his head, "Nothing. And you need to stop worrying right now," He said, "Just for tonight. Don't make your calls, don't lie awake thinking about all the horrible things that could happen to him but you know won't-"

"How do you know that?" Padme asked, "How do you know he isn't-"

"Because he isn't," Ben interrupted, "He's going through a very difficult time, but he won't fall as hard as you think he will."

Padme shook her head, "I can't help but worry," She says, "I can't help but worry that maybe he won't come back. And it's all my fault if he doesn't."

He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gives it a light squeeze, "He will come back." He says, "I'm sure of it."

[][][][]

"I love interns," Dorme said with a sigh as she sat down across from Padme in the cafeteria, "They act like they are such big shots because they are training to be surgeons, yet they always have to ask me what they're suppose to do."

Padme smiled as she took a sip of her latte. It wasn't her usual order. She got this one from the coffee cart near the entrance of the hospital rather than the Starbucks Anakin always got her latte at. It was weird how fast she had gotten used to waiting for him to bring her morning drink and because of it she often goes through the day thinking she is forgetting something. "I sometimes can't stand interns," she said putting the latte down on the table and pushing it away. It was just making her upset thinking about him; "Most of them only start to get useful by the eighth month. The rest of the time I worry they're going to do something stupid to my patients."

Dorme laughed, "Didn't you used to be one of them?" She asked, "Don't you have any sympathy for them?"

She shook her head, "No." She said with a straight face, "My attendings didn't take it easy on me, why should I give them a free pass? I had one attending that had me do rectal exams for a month."

Dorme scrunched her nose, "That sounds horrible. But what did you do to deserve that?"

Padme shrugged, "To this day I have no idea. But I got out of it by working so hard to impress him he had to let me in on a surgery." She let out a sigh, "I miss the old interns." She said with a groan.

"They're still here," Dorme reminded her.

"Yes, but now they're residents and I'm expected to leave my patients with interns fresh out of med school." Padme reaches for her latte and raises it to take a drink but pauses when it's half way to her mouth before putting it back down again trying to be discrete about it.

Dome notices though and shakes her head at her, "Nope, don't do this again," She said, "Don't fall down that dark and twisty hole that revolves around Anakin Skyrunaway." Reaching across the table she grabs the latte and pulls it away from her, "It's just a latte." She said, taking a sip of it and cringing at the taste, "A bad latte, but the latte has nothing to do with him."

Padme groaned and let her head fall forward a bit before raising it to look at her friend, "I'm pathetic," She said, "I can't do anything without thinking about him and how he's just… gone."

Dorme nodded, "Yes, because the world revolves around him." She clapped her hands in front of her, "Get a grip, girl. You are a kick ass surgeon and you don't need a man to be awesome." She said. In the first two weeks since Anakin left she had been confident he would be back soon. But as weeks turned into a month, she had switched roles from helping her keep her resolve to pushing her to be independent again. She still hopped Anakin would come back, but she had to do something to help Padme see he isn't the most important thing in her life.

Padme sighed, "I can't even watch Netflix." She said, "All the shows I want to watch are shows we watch together."

Dorme groaned, "You really need a vacation." She said.

Padme was about to answer when her pager went off. Glancing at it she jumped to her feet and started to run straight to the OR.

[][][][]

Padme placed her hand gently on Mrs. Kim's arm, "I'm so sorry for your loss." She said one last time before backing away a few steps before turning and walking quickly to the attendings lounge. Leaning her back against the wall she took several deep breaths, putting her hands to her forehead and pulling them back over her head, pulling her scrub cap off as she slid to the floor. With her eyes closed she cried quietly. Mr. Kim's operation to remove the nail went well. But a post-op complication led to a seizure which had him taken back into the OR where she had tried to fix the problem. Unfortunately the bleeding into the brain was found too late and the new intern did not find her in time to show her the scans so she could get him into the OR sooner. Mr. Kim died. A lot of her patients have been dying lately. She is on a bad streak right now. Padme has had bad streaks before but they have never lasted longer than a couple days. She is coming close to a month of this and it is taking its toll on her. Dorme is right, she does need a break.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello! So my updates are most likely returning to the frequency they used to be as my sister is finally home from the hospital with the cutest little baby!

I know a lot of you are asking where Anakin is and I promise I will tell you when the time is right! And yes, I completely agree he is acting like a coward and letting his grief consume him but I do understand that he is struggling with dealing with his mother's death and the part Padme played in it. Only time will tell how they both heal though.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 13

Swimsuit, makeup, cocktail dress, heels… Padme walked around her room sifting through her closet trying to choose which outfits she wants to bring with to Bespin. Knowing how upset she was, her sister had arranged to take the week off for some sister time. Padme rarely ever took a break from work, but she really needed to this time and for once she didn't argue with Sola about it. For once instead of worrying about hitting blood vessels and nerves, all she had to worry about was what she was going to wear and what to order for room service. Padme pulled out a nice purple cocktail dress that she had bought a long time ago- so long ago she didn't even remember buying it- and still had the price tag on it. Throwing it onto the pile currently lying on her bed she shuffles further back into the closet, finally able to grab the handle of the suitcase she had been looking for.

Moving it onto her bed she begins to pack. The last time she had gone on a vacation was when she was still a resident. She and Anakin had taken a couple days off to spend at her family's lake house. It hadn't been a long trip, and they had spent most of the time in bed together. This is probably the first time she is going on a real vacation and she was excited about it. Looking through the large pile of clothes on her bed she counts the number of days she is going to be gone- five; and adds three to it so she will bring extra outfits in case of weather or just for something different. She goes through the pile on her bed and picks out the clothes she wants to take before trying to stuff it all in her suitcase.

The buzzer to her door buzzed twice. With a tired sigh she goes to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hey, sis!" Sola calls through the intercom, "You ready yet?"

Padme glances back through her door at her still open suitcase, "Uh, almost," She says, "Come on up. I'll be a few minutes." She says, pressing the button to give her access the lift.

Sola walks through the door a minute later and finds Padme sitting on her suitcase while trying to zip it shut. She shakes her head at her, "Honestly, you really need more than just a carry on suitcase." She says as she walks over to Padme's bookshelf. Picking up the largest books on the shelf- most of which were medical books- she placed the pile on Padme's lap while she tried to pull the zipper closed.

"You know I don't really have a lot of time to travel, "Padme says, "If anything, I take a weekend off once in a while."

"Which means never more times than not," Sola said with a groan as she finally gets one end to close, "You have no idea how surprised I was when you said you needed a vacation. And a real vacation at that," She said as she pulled the zipper to the end, "I mean, I get why you need one now. But it is still surprising."

Padme rolled her eyes, "I know," She said, "I still can't believe you took a whole week off for me though."

Sola scoffed, "Please, this was something I couldn't miss. My baby sister, the work-obsessed neurosurgeon is finally taking a well deserved break." She smiled, "I'm not missing much at work and Darred can handle the girls for a week. I left him with a long list of what not to let them do." She let out a sigh, "The last thing I need to come home to is my two girls on a sugar high because my husband believed them when they told him I give them eight scoops of ice cream instead of three."

Padme laughed as she pulled the suitcase off of the bed, "That can't be good." She said as she took the books and returned them to the shelf before checking to make sure she had everything.

"Nope. And you know Darred; those girls have him wrapped around their fingers. Ready?"

She nods and grabs her purse and bag and links arms with her sister as they leave.

[][][][]

It takes seven hours to get to Bespin by car. Padme and Sola switched drivers once on the trip and spend the whole time talking about everything they were going to do. Sola was looking forward to the cocktail bars and the spa at the resort while Padme was just looking forward to not being on her feet for twelve hours everyday. As they pulled into the resort they couldn't help but giggle like excited schoolgirls. They haven't done something like this since they were both still in school. Climbing out of the car a bellhop unloaded their luggage and loaded it on a cart while the valet took their car to the garage and a server offered them champagne.

Sola smiled, "I haven't felt this pampered walking into a hotel since the last time we went on a trip with mom and dad."

Padme returned the smile as they walked into the lobby to check in. Their family has always been fairly well off financially- due in part to the success one of their great-great grandfather's had in the stock market one year. Growing up they had lived a very privileged life and the trips they had gone on had almost always been to places like Bespin. The only time they had tried a simpler vacation had been the trip where she had met Anakin and the car broke down.

Padme watched as Sola checked in and didn't miss how she emphasized the 'Naberrie' name. "Now I know how you're paying for this." Padme said as they walked over to the lift.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." Sola said with a smirk.

"Play dumb all you want," She said, "But I know you're using dad's card to pay for all this."

Sola rolled her eyes, "He won't mind." She said, "Besides, this isn't the first time I've done this." Padme raised a brow at her, and watched her sister shrug, "Darred and I used his card a couple times when we just needed a break from reality. A break from the girls- as horrible as that sounds." She said as they entered the lift and rode it to the 31st floor.

Padme shakes her head; "Dad said to only use that for emergencies." She said.

Sola let out a light laugh, "Trust me, sometimes it is an emergency." She said, "Do you have any idea how hard it is for us to find time to…" Sola's voice trails off and Padme understands what she is referring to.

"Oh," She said, pausing for a moment before shaking her head at Sola, "I still can't believe you sometimes."

Her sister nudges her with her elbow; "You should try it sometime." She says, "Like daddy always says 'use the gifts you've been given for a good cause.'"

She shakes her head again, "I think you're missing the point of that saying." She said as the lift came to a stop and they started down the long hall to their room.

Sola gave a shrug and brushed off what she said. Pulling out the keycard she opens the door to a wide room with floor to ceiling windows along the back of the room with a balcony. The windows gave a clear view of the entire resort overlooking the pool. Sola is the first of them to fall backwards onto one of the double beds in the room. She lets out an exaggerated sigh, "I am never leaving this bed." She declares, "Lets just get room service tonight." She says, shifting to grab the menu and reads off the long list of meal options.

[][][][]

The morning sun peeks through the curtains of the room and shines across Padme's face. With a groan she brings her hand to shield her eyes as she squints her eyes to read the time on the clock. 10:30. Her eyes shoot open and the horrible thought that she missed her alarm for work crosses her mind. Jumping from the bed she starts to think of ways she can shorten her routine so she can get there sooner before she realizes she isn't in her apartment.

Sola lets out a groan and pulls the covers from over her head, "You're noisy this morning." She says, glancing at the clock.

"Sorry," Padme says as she relaxes into her bed again, "I forgot where I was."

She shakes her head," This is why you should have taken a vacation sooner." She said, "To think, it takes your ex running off again to convince you of that." Padme's eyes drop to the floor and Sola shifts to rest on her elbow, "You haven't talked about it with me since he left." She said, "You want to talk about it?"

Padme shakes her head, "No, I just want to forget about it for now."

Sola rises from her bed and stretches, "Well, in that case lets go take a spa day." She said, "You're too tense."

The spa day worked wonders for Padme. After a mud bath and a long massage followed closely by manicures and pedicures, she felt more relaxed than she has in months. Leaning back into the lounge chair by the pool, she embraces this worry free moment. No interns. No patients. No work. No Anakin. It's exactly what she needs. Sola comes to take the seat next to her a bright smile on her face. "Is it wrong to say I sometimes wish I was single again?" She asked.

Padme rolled her eyes, "Your life is already figured out. You're married, with two kids. Why would you want to be single again?"

Sola points over to a young man leaning by the bar, "Because there is a rule of 'look but don't touch' when you're married."

The man was cute. Wearing a pair of board shorts with flip-flops, he was very fit with well-defined muscles along his arms and legs and a strong chest and abs. Padme shook her head, "I don't know about you, but I think I'd be just fine with that rule."

Sola scoffed, "You won't be saying that after you've had kids." She took a glance at the young man and noticed he was also glancing at them. Tapping Padme's shoulder she smiles, "I think he likes you," She said, "I'm going to go and get another towel. Have fun!"

Before Padme could stop her she had already run off. Cursing under her breath she glances in the direction of the man and he was making his way over to her. He smiled at her and came to stand a few feet away from her.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," She returned.

He scratched the back of his neck, "So… I saw you and your friend looking at me over at the bar," He said. He was obviously nervous and he shifted his feet awkwardly.

Padme nodded her head, "Yeah, sorry about that."

He shook his head, "No, that's not…" He cleared his throat, "It's no problem." He said with a smile, "So… I was wondering…" Padme found the way he struggled for words very enjoyable for some reason. It was almost exciting to watch him try to ask her out or offer her a drink. He let out a light laugh and it made her smile. It was a nice laugh. "I was wondering if your friend would be interested in grabbing a drink with me." And the moment died right there.

"Oh." Padme said, trying to keep the venom out of her voice.

"It's just that, your friend is very pretty and she seems to be a lot of fun…" Padme ignores everything else he says.

Raising a finger she stops him from speaking, "First," She starts, "My 'friend' is my sister. And she's married with two kids." The man's eyes widen and he is rendered almost speechless but he opens his mouth to speak again and Padme continues. "Second, I am also very pretty- I'd say hot even. And I can be fun too. I like to go out, I like to drink. I am a very fun person to be around." She argued, "And I'm a surgeon. A neurosurgeon. A badass neurosurgeon." Her eyes shift to the side as she tries to remember the point she was trying to make- she isn't even sure if there is a point to her tirade. She shakes her head, "Anyway…" She says, folding her hands in her lap, "I'm sorry, but you're not good enough for either of us." She rises to her feet and walks away quickly to where her sister was standing pretending to look at the towels.

"So, how'd it go?" She asked when Padme came to stand next to her.

She sighs, "I think I messed up." She said, earning a weird look from her sister, "He was interested in you."

Sola's eyes widen before she breaks out laughing, "You can't be serious!"

Padme cringes, "To make matters worse, I ranted about how much fun I was."

Her sister wraps her arms around her, "Oh, Padme," She said with a smile, "You really need a boyfriend."

Sola is right. But she is also wrong. She doesn't just need a boyfriend. She needs someone who she believes when he tells her she is beautiful, amazing and fun. She needs someone who understands what she does. Someone who makes her feel safe. She needs someone who loves her completely. And there is only one person who can do that. She shakes her head, "No, I need Anakin."


	14. Chapter 14

Hello darkness my old friend!

Good news is this chapter is the longest one I've written so far. Bad news is it gets dark again. I apologize in advance for the cliff hanger.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 14

The two sisters sat on their respective beds staring across at the other. They have been like this ever since the incident with the boy by the pool. Sola had tried to be gentle with her sister in regards to Anakin and how easy it was for her to fall under his spell, but it wasn't working. Padme didn't seem to care that he had already broken her heart once and was in the process of doing it again. Clutching a pillow to her chest, Sola let out a heavy sigh, "I don't understand." She said, "I don't understand how someone as smart as you are, can be so… dense."

Padme shifted to hug one of her knees to her chest, "I'm not asking you to understand, Sola. I just want you to respect what I want."

She scoffed, "What you want is a broken heart if he is what you want." She said, "I just don't want to see him hurt you again."

"And you won't."

"He's hurting you right now," Sola argued, "He left and-"

"I know!" Padme shouted, "I know he's gone. You don't have to keep reminding me of that." She said.

Sola shook her head, "Why couldn't you have just stayed with Clovis?"

Padme scowled at the name, "Rush Clovis is a pompous arrogant ass." She sneered.

"And a world class neurosurgeon like you."

She shook her head, "He is nothing like me." She argued, "Clovis cares more about results for his studies than improving the lives of his patients. To him, they're just numbers… But Anakin…" Padme smiled, "He cares. He cares so much it is like nothing I've ever seen. Before this whole mess, he lost a baby during a surgery he has done so many times it should have been easy. I found him going over the file trying to figure out what went wrong."

Sola reached across the gap between their beds and gripped her hand, "I'm just trying to look out for you," She said, giving her hand a squeeze, "You and I both know Anakin is far from perfect. He's jealous, quick to anger, impulsive-"

"I know," Padme interrupted, "But I'm not looking for someone who's perfect. I'm looking for someone who is real."

Sola just didn't understand. She already has a husband and children- she has everything that Padme wants. So how can she possibly understand how Anakin makes her feel? They go back and forth on the topic several times until it becomes obvious neither is willing to give any ground on it. Rather than spend the remainder of their trip arguing, they drop the matter for the time being, though it is obvious Sola is worried by Padme's refusal to see reason. None of that matters though. Padme has never been one to let the opinions of others deter her. Even as a teenager when she decided she wanted to be a surgeon she never let anyone tell her she couldn't handle the pressure or the sacrifices she would have to make to be successful. No. She always proved them wrong with her determination and her ambition. This time would be no different. She knew what she wanted and no one, not even Sola was going to change that.

By the time it was time to go back to the city, Padme was more than ready to go back to work. She spent dinner at Sola's where she helped keep the girls entertained for a couple hours before hugging them all and heading back to her apartment. Halfway home, it starts to rain and the wind picks up. The rain quickly escalates to a downpour and it is nearly impossible to see where she is going. Maintaining a slow drive she has her hazard lights flashing and leans forward to try to see better. It does little good and as she pulls up to a traffic light she can barely tell what color it is before managing to stop as it turns yellow then red.

It took her twice as long to reach her apartment but she dreads the fact that her apartment building is separate from the garage she parks in. Standing at the entrance to the garage she eyes the entrance to her apartment but she can barely see it through the rain. The only thing she can see is the light above the large arch into the building. Looking both ways she starts to run to the entrance. Her eye catches the headlight of a car that suddenly pulled into the complex and she stumbles slightly as the driver slams on his breaks. She manages to get out of the way before he hits her and when she reaches the entrance she leans her back against the wall of the arch and catches her breath a moment before wringing out her hair and walking into the building and making her way up to her apartment.

She was dripping as she walked into her room. Making her way to the bathroom she stripped herself of her soaked clothes and wrapped herself in a towel to dry off before dragging her equally soaked bag to the bedroom where she started to unpack her things. As she walked around the room returning her clothes to their proper locations, she heard her phone vibrate. Reaching for her purse on the bed she pulls it out and furrows her brow as she realizes it isn't her phone ringing. Her eyes widen as she realizes where it was coming from. Anakin's phone. She nearly trips over her feet as she grabs the phone on the nightstand. She doesn't recognize the number that pops up on the screen but it doesn't matter. She answers the phone, "Hello?" she says, waiting several moments for a response. Silence is on the other end, "Hello?" She tries again, "Anakin?" The other end remains silent but she is sure it is him. It has to be, anyone else would have said something by now or hung up. "Ani, please," She takes a breath, "Come back. I'm worried. I miss you. Please come back." The call ends and Padme stares at the blank screen hoping he calls back. He doesn't and Padme finishes unpacking and gets dressed for bed before climbing in and pulling the covers over her with Anakin's phone held firmly in her hand.

[][][][]

It had rained the entire night. The storm worsening as the hours passed and lightning streaked across the sky accompanied by the loud roar of thunder. With the weather this bad, Padme was waiting for her pager to go off in the middle of the night calling her in because of a terrible accident or a fire. By the time her alarm went off she was groggy from how dark it still was. If her clock didn't read 5:30 in bright red numbers, she would swear it was still midnight. She went about her morning routine slowly, not looking forward to the drive to work.

Making sure she has her umbrella she pauses at the door before going back into her bedroom and grabs Anakin's phone before going to work. After the strange call last night, she isn't about to take a chance this time. Ever since he left the phone, there have been no calls to it at all. Not one. So for it to go off like it did, it only made sense that it was Anakin. Maybe he was testing to see if she still had it, or maybe he was testing her reaction before he comes back. She hopes he is coming back. Or she at least hopes he tries to call again and maybe this time he will say something.

After running through the rain once more to get to her car, and battling the storm to reach the hospital, she gets there a little later than she likes but with the rain as bad as it is no one can really blame her for it. She quickly changes into her scrubs and ties her hair back before dawning her white coat and walking down the hall to check her patients for the day. Dorme sat at the nurse's station talking to Ben who looked like he could use a break from her. Making her way over to them she picks up a tablet and sifts through the patients and lab work that has been done since her break. She picked up enough of Dorme's conversation with Ben to know what they were talking about.

"Padme," Dorme started, "Please just tell Ben to ask Satine out." She said.

"No Padme, don't." Ben said, "Dorme clearly does not know what she's talking about."

Dorme rolled her eyes, "I know that she likes you but you lack the courage to ask her out."

Ben scowled at her and Padme rolled her eyes, "Dorme why can't you stay out of everyone's love lives?" She asked, "It's bad enough you ask about mine."

She smiled at her, "Probably because romance around here is either nonexistent or extremely sad like yours." She held her hands up in surrender, "No offence, but seeing you all moppy faced is getting really, really sad."

Padme glared at her, "I swear if I had a scalpel-"

"And that threat is losing effect." Dorme said with a smile that only made the knit in Padme's brow deepen.

Shaking her head, Padme turned to Ben, "I need a consult on a patient." She said and started to walk away quickly.

Ben wasn't foolish enough to stay and quickly fell into step next to her. "What can I help you with?" He asked; his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Nothing. I just thought you needed to get away from her."

He smiled, "I am in your debt." He said, "I can't tell you how horrible my week has been. Satine had a child with kawasaki disease and I helped fix it but then she…" Ben scratched his beard and visibly swallowed, "She complemented my work and said my beard hid too much of my face…"

Padme smiled, "Maybe Dorme is right." She said, "She must really like you."

He shook his head, "No, no. I think it was just a casual statement."

She shook her head, "You like her and she likes you." Padme turned her head and met his eye, "Take a chance. Ask her out. Or maybe Dorme will call you the moppy one." The two of them walk along in silence a few moments before Ben raises a brow at her. Padme lets out a sigh, "I think Anakin called." She said.

He blinks several times, "And?"

She shrugs, "I don't know. He didn't say anything."

"But he called so that's… good. It's a step in the right direction."

Padme smiled, "Yeah, I just wish he had said something- anything. It would have just been nice to know that he is alright."

Ben nodded before glancing down at his watch, "I have to go and check on my interns," He said, "Last week they hooked up a patient's O2 to their IV. I'm not about to let them out of my sight like that again."

She nodded her head and gestured for him to go. They would catch up later.

[][][][]

Padme stood over the scrub sink and sighed as she watched the nurses wheel her patient out of the OR and back up to his room. She smiled- her bad streak was over and she couldn't be happier about it. Leaving the OR and standing by the station just outside the room, she fills out her chart. Ahsoka left the OR next to hers with Ben. He gave Ahsoka instructions and left quickly as the young resident came to stand by her and grabbed a tablet and worked on a chart.

"Hey," Padme greeted.

Ahsoka smiled, "Dr. Amidala," She said.

"Padme, please." She corrected, "You're a resident now. I don't really need to be as hard on you anymore."

She smiled, "That's good to know," She said.

"How are your interns?"

Ahsoka groaned, "I'm starting to see why you guys were so hard on us." She said, "Makes me wonder what Skyguy saw in me to actually let me in on a surgery."

Padme laughed, "Trust me, when you're an attending, you'll know what to look for." The beeping of pagers started and everyone looked down to check. The page called for everyone to meet in the ER. Without another word, they followed the crowd as they made their way there.

Besides the nurses and doctors currently working on patients, all the staff was congregating there. There where whispers of why they were going there that ranged from a minor dispute with staff to a massive accident that required everyone to be ready for the worst. With how bad it has been raining, she wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter scenario. As they reached the ER at the very front by the doors stood the chief of surgery Yoda. He was a short elderly man and it was hard to see him from where she stood but his distinct vernacular could not be mistaken for anyone else. "An accident there was." He said, "Terrible, the weather is. Caused a massive landslide, it did." Most people found the way he spoke to be unusual but supposedly it is because he emigrated from some country far away. No one knows which country and it varies depending on who is asked. But all agree it is a little odd. "Expect mass casualties, we should. Prepare for the worst, we must." He said, urging everyone to be ready with triage stations and to push all elective operations to later times.

With Yoda done speaking, Dr. Koon took over and began ordering everyone to prepare the ER and the ORs and to overstock on blood and medication. Padme took her tablet and started going through her patients and checking which ones are ready for discharge and which ones need to stay. The interns in the room waited patiently for the attendings and residents to give them orders and Padme was quick to snag one and gave them the list of her patients she needs discharged before sending them off to see to it.

The sound of sirens grew louder as the first ambulance pulled up and unloaded a man soaking wet and covered in mud. Ben was quick to take the man as his patient and immediately noticed he was struggling to breath. Padme watched as he started to intubate him before going to wait by the door for the next ambulance that started to pull up. Rushing forward to meet them she listens as the paramedic gives the basic information on the patient. The eighteen-year-old girl lived in one of the homes that fell and had been buried under the rubble. Immediately Padme knows she has to intubate her because of how shallow her breath is and how she is clearly coughing up mud. Getting her to the triage station she takes a breathing tube and lines it up to go down her windpipe. With the airway secure, Padme inspects her other injuries, which mostly consist of broken bones.

Padme worked to set the bones and had an OR booked to repair a liver laceration and the fractured him. She and Dr. Windu started to wheel her up to the OR when Dr. Koon called her over and had Lux take over for her.

He was standing by the ER entrance where she could see the rain was starting to let up and the sun was peaking through the dark clouds. "We have more patients coming from a sinkhole that formed ten miles out." He said, "I'm sending you with Tano and Organa to do damage control." Padme nodded her head and left to join Bail and Ahsoka who were gathering materials to take to the field.

Climbing into one of the ambulances that was returning to the scene, the three of them listened intently to what the paramedic told them what they knew so far about the place. The sinkhole was massive and stretched from one side of the street to the other. Several cars have fallen in and the hole penetrates into the subway system leaving several people trapped inside. Structural damage is on all the buildings and there is a risk of at least five falling.

As the ambulance slowed to a stop and the doors opened, they all climbed out and took a moment to analyze the area. Paramedics have already set up several zones for people and the rescue squads are doing what they can to get people out but it was obvious the task is more daunting than anyone wants to admit.

"Alright," Bail starts, "We know the protocol, lets go," He said as he started to walk towards the carnage. Padme was quick to follow suit. She didn't even think to see where Ahsoka was going, knowing she would quickly learn how to navigate the situation. The protocol was rather simple- assess the injured and apply what treatment was possible at the moment before tagging them and getting them on an ambulance as fast as possible. The trick was managing all the emotions, all the injuries they can't immediately see and to organize the incoming patients search and rescue finds. In the field there are more things that can go wrong than anywhere else. There are fewer tools to work with and a finite amount of supplies to work with. If there are no more gauges, it means waiting until an ambulance comes back with supplies and in that time the patient could bleed out before they arrive.

Padme found a man lying near the rubble holding his leg. The blood was seeping through his pant leg and Padme hurried to help him She quickly inspects his wound after cleaning away the blood and starts to suture it closed before covering it with gauges. The man's injuries are not life threatening so when she is sure he is all right, he tags him to go to the hospital taking the non-emergent patients. She goes through this process several more times helping who she can and getting the critical patients on their way to the hospital.

As she sat with a patient with a head laceration she ran a quick neurological test to see if there was any damage. Flashing a light in her eyes she finds the woman is responding well and tags her as a non-emergent and covers her wound. Behind the woman Padme sees two paramedics running over with a stretcher to help carry someone to the ambulance. Padme gets up to see what is going on and to offer her help but stops in her tracks.

Anakin is leaning over a woman who was visibly struggling to breathe. Taking a pair of scissors he cuts away part of the side of her shirt enough so he has access to the area around her ribs. With a scalpel he cuts deep into her skin, ignoring how she screams before putting a tube inside her lung to help her breathe. As the paramedic arrives with the backboard he has them put the neck brace on and helps them put her on the board before realigning the bones in her legs and putting both of them in braces to hold them still. With her safely on the board and being taken to an ambulance he looks up and his eyes widen.

Padme meets his eyes and the two of them are frozen where they stand for several moments. She notices the faint scratch on his forehead that was covered by a bandage and how his hair is slightly shorter than it had been but more disheveled than usual. She sees how his grey shirt is stained brown from blood and how the right sleeve of the shirt is missing having been torn off at the seam.

She wanted to run to him. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and feel the heat that radiates from his body and never let him go. And she would have if there weren't people all around them screaming for help. In the space between them a rescue squad member carries a young boy who was bleeding profusely from his side and she watches as Anakin falls into step with them and gets to work helping stop the bleeding.

Turning away Padme is confident she will find him after and looks around for someone who needs help. "We need a doctor over here!" Her head turns sharply to the right and sees a group of rescue squad men huddled around the opening of a building. Picking up her pack she walks over to them.

"What do you need?" she asks.

"Ten people are trapped." He said, "We can't get to them and they say one of them is loosing a lot of blood, and another is struggling to breathe with another who can't walk."

Padme peeks into the narrow hole that must have been a hallway before the sinkhole. The building was not particularly very tall- only about five stories. She could make out three of the trapped people and one of them was a child. The hole itself was not very big and for the large men trying to get in they couldn't fit.

"It'll take hours before we can get in there," One of the men said, "I don't think we can help them."

"I can." Padme said, "I can crawl into the building and do what I can to keep them alive until you can cut us out." She said. A hand on her shoulder pulled her back and she saw Bail staring down at her.

"No you're not." He said, "The building could fall any moment. You're not going in there."

Padme pulled away, "If I don't all those people are going to die. They will get us out soon and I'll be alright."

Bail paused a moment and thought about it before nodding his head, "Fine. But the moment you think it's going down, you get out."

She nodded her head let the rescue squad men help her climb into the hole. Hunched over she ducks under broken pieces of metal and wires as she squeezes past the wreckage into the space where the people are trapped. She takes a moment to inspect the space and pulls a flashlight out of her pack and turns it on so she can see better. She immediately takes note of the man holding his blood stained shirt to his neck and gets to work on him.

Every once in a while the sound of shifting debris echoes in the space where she was working to try and keep these people alive while the rescue squad worked to create a bigger opening to get them out. Of the ten people trapped, only four of them were in good enough shape to try and help. The man who was struggling to breathe had a broken rib that was pressing down on the lung so she quickly toughed a young man how to use a breathing bag so she could help the others. As she worked she had him verbally count to ensure he kept pace.

The man with the neck injury could not be sutured since the cut penetrated an artery and the only reason he was still alive was because of the shard of glass blocking it. Padme instructed a young girl to keep pressure on the wound to reduce blood loss. As she worked to secure a broken leg, the building shook violently halting her progress, "What's going on?" She called to the squad.

"Pipe burst." A man called back, "Don't worry, it's under control."

The building shook again and Padme could tell the people were frightened. "How much longer do you think we'll be here?" She asked, trying to take their minds off the shaking and to give them the strength to hold on just a little longer.

"Not long. Maybe an hour."

Padme smiled, "Okay guys, you heard him," She said to the group, "Just one more hour. Then we'll get you to a hospital. So hang in there, alright?"

The people in the space nodded and Padme turned back to the leg she was working on. Another shake more violent than the last dislodged a metal rod from the ceiling of the space and it clattered to the ground, startling them. "It's okay," Padme said to reassure them, "Everything is fine." The space shook again and a piece of plaster fell, followed by a pipe, them a beam. The shaking grew worse and it became clear this time it wasn't from the burst pipe.

The shaking dislodged what debris was supporting the weight of the pocket they sat in and as if in slow motion it started to collapse around them. Padme was frozen to the spot as a cloud of dust and debris swallowed the space before darkness fell around her.


	15. Chapter 15

In true Grey's Anatomy fashion, some absolutely horrible catastrophe must happen be it death by hiccups or a plane crash. In this case, a building collapses on Padme (I'm so sorry!). On the plus side, Anakin is back so there's that to look forward to!

Right now, I have so many ideas for how long this story is going to be and it ranges from 10- 20 more chapters maybe? So I am debating if I should split that up or not. Let me know what you think! Do you want a sequel? Or just one big story?

I am also outlining the prequel to this story too so there's that to look forward too as well.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 15

Anakin helped the paramedics load a patient into an ambulance before turning back to the scene. The number of patients was starting to finally die down as the rescue squad was pulling the last of the people out. The only ones who still needed medical help were the people still trapped inside the building that collapsed a few hours ago. Anakin scanned the scene hoping to see Padme. He needed to talk to her and fix things between them. Walking around, he quickly realized she wasn't there. Did she go back to the hospital? Glancing at the crowd around the building waiting to help, he made his way over there. Maybe she was there. Scanning the crowd, he didn't see her but he heard whispers of a doctor being trapped in the rubble. Without thinking he rushes forward, pushing past the rescue squad in his haste to find her.

The squad had already started to clear away a lot of debris but by trying to make sure the structure doesn't collapse further, they were moving too slowly. He ignores them as they try to get him to stay back. Ducking and stepping over rubble he moves deeper into the building until he can't move farther. He looks between two wood beams to try to make out anything that would help him find her. "Padme!" He shouts, hoping she hears him, "Padme!" He calls again and the building rattles as things shift again. He hears the faint sound of banging further in the wreackage. His eyes dart around the space frantically trying to find a way to keep moving forward. "Fuck it." He mutters as he backs up. Looking up at what the wood beams were supporting. Deciding that it wasn't supporting too much, but also concluding that his plan was very stupid, he runs straight at the beam, ramming his shoulder into it as hard as he could. The beam gives way and he's through the other side, tumbling onto the rubble on the other side. The debris above shifts and some metal and plaster falls where the beam once stood.

Coughing he gets to his feet, rubbing his sore shoulder before looking around the small space. "Padme!" He calls again as he hunches over to walk around the narrow pass he was in now. "Padme!" he stops in his tracks as he hears the faint tapping sound again. It sounds like a rock being hit on a metal pipe, "I heard you!" He called and the tapping continues, more frantic this time. Stumbling over his feet he follows the sound to a small hole low in the debris that peeks into a small air pocket. "Padme?"

He hears coughing on the other side, "Ani."

Getting down on his stomach he looks through it and reaches through the hole, letting his fingers brush against hers. Her hand is tightly gripping a rock and hovers over a metal pipe that is leaking. Her fingers drop the rock and squeeze his tightly, "I'm right here, Angel." He said, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Ani." Her voice is faint, "I'm trapped." She sounds like she is fighting back tears. She's afraid.

"I know," He said, "But help is coming. They'll get you out." He is able to make out the top of her head through the hole and can see her head is turned to the side but the rest of her is clearly trapped under the rubble.

"It hurts to breathe," She said, "And there is something penetrating my abdomen and my chest. I'm bleeding out." She takes a breath and he hears how hard the task is, "Multiple crush injuries, internal bleeding, possibly a hemothorax. I don't think-"

"Don't." He says, "Don't tell me you're not going to make it." He squeezes her hand, "You're going to be fine." He says. Anakin glances around where he is lying down. She is within his reach and he feels powerless to do anything.

"Anakin." She calls, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry about everything." She is crying now. And he fights back his own tears. Her talk about dying is killing him. "Tell my parents… I love them."

He shakes his head, "Padme-"

"Anakin…" She squeezes his hand, "I love you."

He growls, "Stop!" He shouted, "Stop talking like you're dying; you're not going to die. Not while I'm here."

Padme takes a deep shaky breath, "The others are already dead." She said, "They were talking before… now it's just me…I'm next."

Bringing his other hand to his eyes, he wipes the tears away, "Padme… please." He begs, "I can't live without you."

Padme squeezes his hand, "Neither can I."

Looking up, he takes a deep breath, "Hurry up and get us out of here!" He shouts back in the direction he came. Looking down where his hand is through the hole, he debates trying to get her out himself, but he isn't sure if doing that would shift the rubble too much and crush her more. He also worried about the objects penetrating her. If he moved her the wrong way, she would bleed out in a matter of seconds.

"You should go." She said, "Go and help them. It's not helping anyone just staying here."

Anakin shakes his head, "I'm not going anywhere." He says. "I'm never leaving you. Never again." Padme takes a shaky breath and closes her eyes. Anakin squeezes her hand tightly, "Keep talking to me." He says, "Stay awake and keep talking. Tell me what you want to do this weekend. I'm back; we can do whatever you want. Just name it."

She smiles, "The lake house."

"Done." He said, "The moment we're done here, I'm taking you there."

"We can swim out to the island." Her breath shakes from the tears she is freely crying.

"Whatever you want," He said, "I will brave the sand, just for you." He smiles, remembering how he once ranted about how much he hates sand.

She lets out a pained groan as she tried to laugh, "Do you… remember the last time we were there?"

"Of course," He said with a smile, "Though I don't think we spent much time outside the bedroom."

She smiles and takes a breath, "We went to the market that one day," She said, "I remember… that one girl that kept flirting with you."

He smiled and rubbed his thumb across her knuckle "I don't remember that." He said, "I just remember the beautiful girl who sat across from me at that café."

Padme closed her eyes and her grip on his hand loosened, "Ani…" Her breath was short and weak.

"Hold on." He urged, "Just hold on. They're almost here." He said. He could hear the sound of the squad getting closer and he turned so his voice could travel towards them, "We're back here!" He shouted, "Hurry!"

"Ani… I love you." She didn't hear him respond. She lost the grip she had on his hand and felt the heavy darkness fall over her as she fell unconscious again and her breath gave out.

[][][][]

Anakin gripped her hand as tight as he possibly could, "Padme!" He tried to get her to respond but she didn't. Reaching for her wrist he felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was very faint. The rescue squad was close; he saw their flashlights peeking through the rubble, "Hurry!" He shouted at them. He couldn't focus on what they were saying; he was too worried for Padme to think of anyone or anything else. Only when the gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him back did he realize how close they were. He stood by as he waited for them to remove the rubble brick by brick. It was slow- too slow. By the time they reached her they had to bring in a saw to cut the three metal rods that pierced her so they could get her out. Once they had her on a stretcher he fell into step beside them as they got to work on her.

Following close behind, he listened to the paramedics as they went through their protocol. Her pulse was weak and she was having trouble breathing. All signs told him she was bleeding into her chest. They were quick to load her into an ambulance but he knew she needed surgery immediately. "Gloves." He ordered and the paramedics exchanged looks, "I need to insert a chest tube and perform a thoracotomy quickly. If I don't, she is going to bleed out and die so give me gloves and a damn scalpel." He gave them a look that dared them to challenge him and without delay they gave him what he asked for. Ordering them to maintain manual ventilation, he lifted her left arm and made a small cut in her side before placing a tube inside. Immediately it started to drain the fluid that collected in her chest but it didn't stop the bleeding. At the incision point, he widened the cut enough so his hand could fit before taking the rib spreaders and placing it so he could reach her heart. Wrapping his hand around her heart, he began to manually pump it, squeezing it just enough to circulate the blood. His fingers felt around the organ for the source of the bleeding. When he found it, he pressed his finger to it and kept it there as he continued to palpate the muscle.

It took ten minutes to reach the hospital. Ten minutes felt more like ten hours to him. His left hand shook nervously as his right hand seemed to be the only think keeping her alive at the moment. He's been shot at, performed open-heart surgery in the dark, amputated limbs without anesthesia; but none of that compared to what he was doing now. His hand was wrapped around Padme's heart. His hand was keeping her alive. His hand… The thought terrified him. If he let up even once, he would kill her. If his finger slipped from the hole he was covering he could kill her. If he squeezed too hard he would kill her. He couldn't think about that now. He had to stay focused on what he was doing, not who he was doing it to. He's done thoracotomies so many times before; he just has to think about that. Closing his eyes, he focuses on the sound of the heart monitor, using the steady beeps to help him keep the right pace.

When the doors to the ambulance opened, he saw Ben standing there ready to take her to the OR. He heaved a sigh of relief. Just a little longer. The paramedics slowly and carefully unloaded the gurney, being sure that their movements didn't jostle him. He took his place standing on the wheel rack, reaching across the bed to grip the handrail on the opposite side to keep his balance while Ben and the residents rushed them into an OR.

"Anakin-"

"She has a tear on the right ventricle but I have a good grip on it." He said.

"Anakin-"

"Ben." He interrupted, "Just get her into an OR." Anakin didn't even look up. His eyes were focused on the monitor watching the pulse carefully. He was scared. Ben had never known Anakin to be afraid of anything, but with what was at stake here, he understood. Wheeling them into an OR Ben scrubbed in.

"Lets get her on bypass." Ben said as he made his way to the other side of the table. Anakin kept massaging the heart until the bypass took full effect and he let go, pulling his hand out which started to shake just as bad as his left hand. "Anakin." Ben said, pulling his attention so Anakin would look up and meet his gaze, "We got it from here," He said.

Anakin let out a shaky breath and nodded his head, before looking down at Padme one last time before leaving the room quickly. He made his way to the nearest restroom he could find, bursting through the door and locking himself in one of the stalls he hunched over the toilet bowl and emptied the contents of his stomach with a violent heave. He groaned and coughed the last of it out before falling back to lean against the side of the stall, breathing deeply while his body shook. Closing his eyes, he tried to convince himself that she would be fine. He did everything right. He kept her heart beating all the way to the OR. And now she was on bypass. Ben would patch the hole; she would be all right. She had to be.

Looking down at himself he realized just how much blood he was covered in. He had not planned on getting involved in the sinkhole but when it happened, and he heard people screaming and no one had gotten there yet, he left his bike and went to at least get started for the paramedics. And even when they did arrive, he stuck around to help as much as he could. Getting to his feet, he left the restroom and made his way for the attendings lounge where he would take a quick shower to clean off the blood and change out of the bloody clothes.

Putting on scrubs, he goes to sit in the waiting room where everyone else waiting for news was sitting. He watched the nurses move from one family to another trying to make them more comfortable and to keep everyone calm. He moves to stand as close as he can to the doors Ben will come out of when he's done. Leaning against the wall, he closes his eyes. He should have come back sooner. He should have called sooner. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if he did. Or maybe she would have died by now. He bangs his head back hard against the wall. He can't think like that. She's going to be fine; she's strong- stronger than him in almost every way. She's fine.

The doors to the OR open and his eyes dart to them even though he knows it will be hours before Padme will come out. Ahsoka walks over to him pulling her scrub cap off her head, "Hey," She said, "Ben told me to wait with you."

Anakin sighs, "I don't need someone to watch me." He said.

She shrugs, "Maybe not, but you shouldn't be alone either. We both know what you're prone to do when that happens."

He rolls his shoulders awkwardly, knowing she is referring to how he suddenly left, "I'm sorry," He said.

"It's okay."

"No its not." He said, "Something terrible happened and I just… I was suppose to be your teacher, and I did a crappy job at that."

Ahsoka smiles, "Well, you're here now. That's what matters. And I think Padme would agree."

He shakes his head, "I screwed that up too."

"Let her decide that." She said, moving to lean against the wall with him, "Ben will fix this." She said with confidence.

"What if I messed up?" He asked suddenly, "What if I made it worse?"

She raised a brow at him, "I thought it was the resident's job to worry about things like that." She smiled, "You're an attending. You're supposed to be all confidence and cleverness."

He lets out a shaky breath and looks down at his trembling hands, "I had her heart in my hand." He said, "I had her heart. I could have-"

"You didn't." She assured him, "She's in there right now on bypass with Ben patching her up. Windu and Organa were on their way up there too to take care of everything else. She's in the best hands right now."

He clenches his fist and gives a dark laugh, "Yeah and the best hands clearly aren't mine."

Ahsoka furrows her brow, "You are the best. And the only reason its not you is because you're too close to her." She grips his wrist and says nothing, only trying to provide what little comfort she can.

[][][][]

Anakin had lost track of time by the time Ben appeared. All he knew about time was that the sun was still up just before he went into the building to look for Padme and now the sun was gone. Ben made his way over to him and folded his hands across his chest; "She's out of surgery now." He said, "It went well, but recovery won't be easy. There was a small break in her pelvis, her right leg was dislocated, and her right arm was broken; but bed rest and some physical therapy will have her back on her feet in no time. Bail had to resect part of her liver and there was some damage to the spleen. I patched the tear in the ventricle and it is holding well." Ben smiled, "I see no reason why she won't make a full recovery." Anakin nodded his head and let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, "Would you like to see her?" Ben asked and he nodded once and followed him up to her room.

Ben and Ahsoka entered the room where Padme rested on the small hospital bed. Standing in the doorway, Anakin took a moment before stepping through and coming to stand at the end of the bed. Bruises marred her perfect face and casts covered her right arm and leg. Her left arm had some bandages covering the small scrapes on it and her chest and abdomen were heavily bandaged. "She should wake in a couple hours, or maybe a day or two." Ben said, "I'll have the nurses bring a cot up for you if you'd like." Anakin didn't respond and Ben could tell he wasn't going to. Without another word, he tapped Ahsoka on the arm, and had her follow him out the door to leave Anakin alone with Padme.

Moving over to the monitors beeping rhythmically next to her bed, Anakin reads through them, making sure they all read out normal before pulling up the chair to sit next to her. Taking her left hand in his, he weaves their fingers together, bringing her knuckle to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to them. He watches her peaceful face for an unknown amount of time- he didn't even notice when a nurse brought up the cot and some pillows- lulled by the beeping of the monitors in the room, he eventually falls asleep in the chair.


	16. Chapter 16

Yay! Another chapter! This is honestly one of the hardest chapters I've had to write since I had to compress all of Anakin's feelings into one set of dialogue whereas Padme had two chapters to explain hers. We're getting close to the final stretch! I've decided on the sequel option so that will come eventually.

Just a quick update on my other stories while I'm here: Worry not, I am working on them and they will come out when they are ready. To stay up to date on everything and to get rough estimates on when those updates will happen, check my tumblr. I give update posts every Sunday and Wednesday.

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 16

Everything hurt. She doesn't even remember it hurting this much before she passed out but now it felt like her limbs had been ripped off and jammed back into place- which probably isn't far from the truth. She could faintly hear the sound of a heart monitor beeping steadily in the background. With a groan she forces her eyes open before squeezing them shut again from the light. Slowly she tries to open them again and has better luck this time. Her vision is blurry for several moments before her eyes focus on her mother sitting in the chair next to her bed. Her mother's eyes rise and widen when she meets Padme's gaze.

"Padme!" She cries as she leans forward and wraps her arms around her. Padme returns the gesture lightly.

"Mom." Her voice is hoarse and her mother sits back, her hand resting lovingly on her cheek.

"Hush," She says, "It's alright." Her mother moves over to the tray table and pours her a cup of water. "Drink. Doctor's orders." Her mother smiles as her daughter drinks slowly.

Her father enters the room, carrying two sandwiches and two drinks. "You're awake," He says, putting the food down and coming to press a kiss to the top of her head, "We were so worried." He said, "What were you thinking?"

"Ruwee, we should let her rest." Her mother said, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"I will, Jobal." He said, "Just as soon as I know what my daughter was thinking charging into a collapsing building. Why couldn't you have just gone into politics? You're stubborn enough to be one."

Padme furrows her brow, "Mean." She mutters.

Ruwee smiles, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you're alright."

"Pardon the interruption," Ahsoka says from the door, "I need to check the scaring."

"Of course," Jobal said, taking her husband by the arm, "We'll just be outside."

With her parents gone, Ahsoka went about the process of removing the bandages on her chest and abdomen. Apparently this wasn't the first time she woke up. She had woken up less than twelve hours after surgery but she was still so weak from everything that had transpired that she slipped into unconsciousness again. "Don't worry," Ahsoka said when she noticed the knit in Padme's brow at seeing the scars, "They'll go away soon."

"I know that," Padme said a little harsher than she intended. Her body was still tender, so pressure was still a little painful.

Ahsoka watched Padme intently as she finished up her exam. "We got a really good case in the ER this morning." She said, "Some guy got his penis stuck in a door. Like there is a hole cut out of the middle of the door and the guy is stuck."

Padme raised her brow, "You're kidding."

She shook her head, "I can't make this up. I saw him come in carrying the door while his girlfriend- at least I assume she's his girlfriend- carries a towel to cover his… problem." Ahsoka smiled, "I imagine he was really embarrassed when Mina came to examine him."

Padme shook her head, "Do you ever wonder what guys are thinking when they do stuff like that?"

Ahsoka shrugged, "I gave up trying to understand them years ago." She finished applying the last dressing, "Do you want me to see if you can have more morphine?"

She shook her head, "I'm fine right now." With a nod of her head, Ahsoka left and her parents returned.

They stayed with her until visiting hours ended. They really didn't need to. Padme was still very tired and sore so she spent a lot of the time sleeping and when she wasn't, they engaged in simple small talk that she didn't particularly care about. She loves her parents dearly, but sometimes they just don't get her. Ever since she started her career, there has been a small rift between them. They never understood why she wanted to be a surgeon and they didn't understand her job at all. They wanted her to be successful. They want her to have a career and do more than just give birth to a bunch of kids; but right now her parents seem to think that she is so obsessed with her work that she won't ever have a family.

Safe to say, when her parents finally left, she was a relieved. Leaning back into her pillow she sighed, relishing the hours she has until the morning when they promised to stop by again. A knock on her open door startled her a little as her head turned to see who it was. She had expected it to be Dorme or Bail telling her good night before they left but she was surprised to see Anakin standing in the doorway. He was wearing his scrubs and his hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his white coat. He smiled at her, "Hey," He greeted.

Padme returned his smile, "Hey." She said as he entered the room and moved to sit in the chair next to her bed. They were quiet for several minutes. Neither knowing what to say to the other. It has been over a month since she's seen him and she isn't even sure where they stand. "Ani…" She starts, "I was afraid you weren't going to come back." She said. And it's true, she wasn't sure. She had no idea where he had gone, or for how long he was going to be gone. He left no note, no message… he just left.

Anakin sat back in his chair, "I didn't know I was coming back either," He admitted.

"Anakin, you can blame me for your mother's death; I never should have-"

"I wanted to." He said, his eyes rise to meet hers, "I wanted to blame you. I wanted to hate you even. I wanted to see you as the person who let my mom die." His words cut deep into her but she held back the tears she wanted to shed. He shook his head, "I tried so hard to see you that way. It would have been easier if I could. But I couldn't." He said, "I couldn't see you as that person." He scoffed and looked away, "Every time I tried, every reason I could think of to justify it… I found at least three reasons why you're not that person." Anakin scratched the back of his neck, "Maybe that makes me a masochist for thinking like that;" His eyes meet hers, "But I love you." She can see the sincerity behind his words; can see the depth of his love for her, "I love you," He said again, "And we're surgeons. You were right, I wasn't thinking like one before. Every time we bring bad news like that, we're monsters." He said, "I shouldn't have treated you like one when I've said and done the same thing you did. I shouldn't have left like I did. It was cruel and heartless of me an I don't deserve your forgiveness for putting you through that as long as I did."

Padme reached out and gripped his hand tightly in hers, "Maybe not," She said with a smile, "But you have it anyways."

Anakin met her gaze and smiled wide for her, squeezing her hand in his before leaning over and pressed gentle kisses to each of her knuckles, "I really don't deserve you," He muttered against her hand.

"We can argue over who doesn't deserve whom until the world ends," She said, shifting her hand to cup his jaw which had a light layer of stubble on it, "Doesn't change how much I love you." She said.

He placed his hand over hers on his jaw, turning his head in to kiss her palm, "How do you feel?" He asked.

She groaned, "Like a building fell on me." She said.

He furrowed his brow, "Not funny."

"Sorry." She said, "They still have me on painkillers."

He rolled his eyes, "Why does everyone blame the drugs?"

She laughs, "Because of the side effects proven by the FDA written on the prescription." He smiles at her and she moves her hand to run her fingers gently through his hair. It is much shorter than it had been the last time they were this close. "Why did you cut your hair?" She asked.

He shrugged, "It was getting too long," He said simply.

"I like it long," She said, "Not too long but long enough so I can…" Her fingers tighten their grip on his hair.

He smirks and she smiles back at him, "Well, then I promise not to cut it this short again." He says.

"You'd better not." She threatens.

He laughs, "Is this the drugs talking?"

She shrugs, "Maybe. I guess you'll only figure that out if you cut it short again." She lets out a yawn and glances at the clock in the room. It was already past ten at night.

"Tired?" He asked. She nodded, "You should get some sleep."

She furrows her brow, "Where have you been staying?"

"Here," Anakin said as he leaned back in the chair again, "You're parents have been here everyday. Night seemed to be the only time I could come and see you."

"You could visit during the day like everyone else." She said. "Are you even allowed to visit patients at night?" Padme can't remember the exact rules of doctors visiting patients that aren't theirs but she has a feeling that this case should be bound to the visiting hours rule.

He shrugs, "Probably not." He said, "But I have been taking night shifts ever since Yoda reluctantly gave my job back… though with some temporary restrictions and responsibilities." He shrugs again, "I don't really care though, you're worth it."

"What restrictions?"

"Since I took up night shifts I can only do two surgeries a day, both of which I need to use as learning opportunities for the interns. I also have to teach skill labs to the interns and the residents five days a week."

She raises a brow at him, "So you're more of a teacher than a surgeon now?"

He raises a finger, "Key word is temporarily. And the interns seem to like actually having a role in the surgery."

Padme shakes her head, "I can't believe they let you teach." She mutters.

He leans forward and rests his elbow on her bed, "Makes visiting you without your parents easy."

"You're avoiding them."

"Can you blame me?"

Padme shook her head. She can't really blame him knowing how much her parents don't seem to like him. And that is probably for the best at least until they figure out how to get them to accept what is going on between them. She yawns again.

"You should get some sleep." He said, standing to help adjust her pillows to let her lie down easier.

She takes his hand in hers, running her fingers along his and twining their fingers together. She doesn't want him to leave. There are still a lot of things left unsaid about how much the past month has hurt them both; but they love each other. Neither one of them can deny that. And they have this moment. This small moment where for the first time in a long time, it feels like things are actually going their way.

He pulls away from her grip long enough to take his white coat off and toss it onto the chair before carefully climbing onto the bed with her. He knows what she wants without her even saying it. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and she shifts as best she can to be closer to him. The bed is rather small to fit them both but they manage. Padme rests her head on his chest, lulled by the strong steady beat of his heart and he kisses the top of her head before leaning back and falling asleep with her in his arms.

[][][][]

It was around seven in the morning when Padme woke up to Anakin trying to carefully detangle himself from her. "Sorry," He whispered when he got his arm free.

"Work?" She asked.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to wake you."

Padme leans her head back onto the pillow and adjusted herself to get as comfortable as she can be with two casts and while still recovering from surgery, "It's fine, Ani." She said as she closed her eyes again; she was still very tired.

He smiles at her and leans down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll come by after your parents leave." He promised. She mumbled in acknowledgement as she snuggles deeper into her pillow.

Grabbing his jacket from the chair, he folds it over his arm before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He knows he looks a wreck. He can feel his hair is sticking up oddly on the right side. He tries to run his fingers through it just to give some semblance of decency but it doesn't doo much. He should have gotten up sooner. If he had he would have had time to take a quick shower. But that hadn't happened and now he had to get to his skills lab in fifteen minutes. Today he is supposed to have the residents practice appendectomies on cadavers. Walking though the doors of the lab, he throws his coat over the chair at the front of the room. The cadavers had already been brought up and the faces and genitals covered. He paced the six rows in the room, checking that each station had all the tools they needed before moving to the front of the room to wait for the residents to file in.

He liked teaching. There was something about it that just felt rewarding in the pursuit. But he hated teaching like this. In a classroom setting, with cadavers and models, there was only so much he could teach them. He can't teach them what they should do when a problem occurs. True, there is a set of steps to follow to fix the problem, but sometimes there isn't enough time to go through it all. Sometimes, the surgeon needs to be creative to fix a problem.

As the clock in the back of the room read seven twenty-five, like clockwork the residents start to file in. He still doesn't know them all, but some of them stand out a bit more than others; Lux Bonteri happens to be the son of the head of general surgery- Mina Bonteri; though it seems Lux has a knack for trauma. Barris is obviously favored by the head of OB, Luminara for her calm nature and her ability to work fast. Riyo Chuchi is new from what Anakin can tell. Yoda had told him there were a few new hires in the time he was gone and Chuchi seemed to be one of them. She is obviously aiming for neurosurgery based on how the last skill lab went when he had them cut a brain into strips and label the parts. The last resident he knows is Ahsoka and he is beyond relieved she still wants to learn from him.

The residents take their seats and Anakin folds his arms behind his back, "Sometimes the simplest procedure is the hardest one you can ever do. Any ideas why?" He waits several seconds to see what they think. No one raises their hand so he continues, "It's because the easy surgeries are the ones you are most likely to forget as you advance in your careers. The simplest and most basic one being an appendectomy." Several of the residents groan, "For those of you planning on going into general, think of this as practice since you will do at least one everyday. The rest of you," He smirks, "You all have dreams of going into neuro, cardio, ortho, or whatever specialization you chose and you think it's okay to forget this since it's so easy… think again." He said, "There will come a time when you need this procedure. There will come a time when this procedure sneaks up on you and you have to quickly remember how to do it or your patent dies." He stares down every one of them, "And how stupid will you feel in all your big-shot specialization pride, when you have a patient die because you couldn't do a simple appendectomy?" Anakin walks around the front of the table, "So, who can tell me how to start?"

[][][][]

Anakin sits at the table he normally sits at with Padme for lunch. The class in the morning went about as well as he expected. They knew what to do up until they had to cross clamp the appendix. After that, most of them forgot. He takes a bite of his sandwich and to his surprise another tray is dropped opposite him. Glancing up with the sandwich still in his mouth, he sees Dorme. She takes the seat across from him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Padme's in her room." He said after he swallowed.

"Obviously," Dorme said, "You're the one I want to talk to anyway." He raised a brow and she leaned forward, resting her folded arms on the table, "You're hot, I'll give you that much," She said, "From what Padme told me, you got a great body. You're funny, you care about people, you're a hopeless romantic."

Anakin isn't really sure where this is going and gives her a confused look, "Thank you?" He says.

She holds up a finger, "Not done yet," She said, "You're also the biggest prick I have ever met." She shook her head at him, "Padme was miserable without your sorry ass. She thought something bad happened to you. She blamed herself for it. And I had to sit there and listen to her cry her heart out all because of you."

Anakin hung his head in shame. Despite already feeling guilty over leaving, her words hurt more than he thought they would. Dorme is one of Padme's friends- she isn't one of his and yet he felt like Ben just punched him in the face. "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say.

Dorme shook her head, "I'm not the one you need to apologize to." She said with a glare, "I can't say I know what she sees in you; but clearly there is something there that is worth giving it another go… but mark my words, Skyrunaway: hurt her again, and I'll make sure you will never have a fully staffed OR again."

He blinked at her. She may only be a nurse, but even he knew nurses had a lot of power in terms of numbers and what they knew about the patients. At the same time, he knew the threat meant nothing, not with what he hoped for. "I wasn't planning to," He said.

Dorme sat back in her chair, "Good." She said, turning her head to look at the rest of the cafeteria. "I was hoping to have a really good exit line," She said, as she looked down at her tray then back up at him. "I'll just… go." She said picking up her tray and walking away.

Anakin shook his head. Dorme has always been… interesting to say the least. But he can't deny that he isn't pleased to know Padme has a friend like her who will fight for her. Picking up his sandwich again, he goes back to eating his lunch.


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! I originally had this chapter split in two, but I felt they worked better together- plus it makes the chapter longer too. I am really glad to have Anakin and Padme back together BUT sorry to say they aren't out of the woods just yet. Still some things they need to work out and Padme is still injured so that needs to get better too. Bright side is right now it's all good! So yay!

Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 17

Padme's parents left at the end of visiting hours like they had the day before. The list of things they can talk about was already running short and she was already tired of sitting in bed all day. It was boring and for a high-end hospital, it seemed they couldn't be bothered to have a better entertainment system. She was getting tired of watching marathons of Maury and Rachel Ray. Every couple hours during the day one of the nurses stop by to check on her and see how she is healing. More often than not, its Dorme and she is beyond grateful when her parents excuse themselves for the moment. She tells her all about the interesting cases they have and keeps her up to date on the juicy gossip she hears about. Padme has never liked the gossip, but in this case its better than listening to her parents talk about boating and golf- activities she has had no interest in since high school.

When the door opens about ten minutes after her parent's leave she can't help the smile that appears on her face as Anakin walks in with a laptop tucked under his arm. "They're trying to kill me." She said, "Please come during the day."

He raises a brow, "Are we talking about your parents or your friend?"

"Maybe both." She said, "But it's mostly my parents."

He laughs lightly and puts it on the tray table. "As much as I'd like to rescue you from your predicament, I can't."

"Coward."

"For good reasons." He said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her hand comes up to grip his shirt. He pulls back enough to see the furrow in her brow, "What is it?" He asked.

"Ani." She pulls on his shirt lightly and not a moment later his lips are on hers. She's missed this. Missed him. Missed how incredible it feels to have him this close. She knows they have a lot to work out once she is healed. She knows it will take time to rebuild what was broken. But for now, she relishes this moment. It's just them. Just this moment and that is all she wants right now. Her hand releases his shirt to cup his stubbly jaw before sliding along it to reach his hair. Moaning into his mouth, she grips him tightly and wishes she could move her other arm.

Anakin places his hand on her cheek, and strokes it gently with his thumb. He can feel how much she has missed him from how eager her kiss is. He's missed her too. Even when he didn't want to, he did. And having her like this again, tasting her, and feeling her hands in his hair; he prays he never has to go another day without it. Breaking the kiss, he rests his forehead against her, smiling.

She drags her hand back to his jaw, "You need to shave." She said, "I like the stubble, but I don't want you to get a beard like Ben."

He laughs, "First my hair is too short now my beard is too long? There is no pleasing you, woman."

Padme smiles and cranes her head up to catch his lips, "I love you." She said.

"And I love you." He mumbled against her lips. Pulling away from her he grabs the laptop from the table, "I hope you don't mind, I stopped by your place and got your laptop. I figured you'd be getting bored sitting around here watching daytime television."

She raised a brow, "How'd you get in?"

He shrugged, "I asked Dorme if she had a key and she didn't so she went through your bag to get it." He held up a hand in surrender, "Remember, she was the one to go through your stuff, not me."

Padme laughed, "So you went into my apartment and brought me my laptop?"

He smiled, "Netflix has everything from The Walking Dead to Minions. I'm pretty sure that is already better than whatever is on that thing." He said pointing to the TV. Padme rolled her eyes as Anakin slid the tray table closer to her and logged onto her laptop before taking off his jacket and climbed into the bed with her. Padme snuggled as close as she could to him as he pulled up Netflix. He furrowed his brow; "You haven't been on here since I left."

Padme hunched her shoulders, slightly embarrassed at the reason why, "It was always our thing." She said, "I felt bad moving ahead when I had no idea where you were in the series."

He smiles, "Good thing I haven't watched anything either then." He said as he hit play.

She shifted her head to look up at him, "Why not?"

He looks down at her and smirks, "It's our thing." He kisses the top of her head and she smiles as he pulls her close and they direct their attention to the screen, "And I kinda lost my laptop on the highway." Padme shook her head. He was either joking to make her laugh, or it really happened. Either way, imagining his laptop flying off the back of his motorcycle was pretty funny.

[][][][]

By the time Padme woke up, Anakin had already slipped out. The clock read eight in the morning and she smiled. At least today Sola was bringing the girls by for a couple hours. That meant she could avoid using up the ever-shortening list of topic conversations with her parents. A nurse stopped by and delivered breakfast just before the door to her room burst open and her nieces ran in, happily greeting her. Padme smiled at the girls as Sola scolded them for being so loud as their parents walked in behind her.

"Hey little sis," Sola greeted as she gave her a hug, "I'm sorry I couldn't bring them sooner," She said, "I didn't think it was right to pull them out of school when they have testing going on."

Padme shook her head, "Don't worry about it, Sola." She said as she directed her attention to her nieces, "School is very important isn't it?" She asked.

And the girls nodded their heads, "Yes Auntie Padme." They said.

"We're learning about bones in school," Pooja offered, shifting to stand closer to the bed.

"That's always a fun topic." Padme said. She pointed to her forearm, "Have they taught you which bones are in the arm?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah but I don't remember."

Padme laughed, "The radius and the ulna." She said, sliding her hand up she pointed to her bicep, "And this is humerus."

Pooja smiled, "I like that you're a doctor." She said,

"I love being a doctor." Padme responded.

"Can I sign your cast?" Ryoo asked.

She smiled, "You most certainly can." Padme handed the girls several colored markers for them to draw with. They knew she was hurt and they tried to be careful but Padme assured them that the cast was strong enough that she won't feel it. The girls drew several pictures on the casts ranging from hearts to animals. It was sweet and beyond adorable and it brought a large smile to her face.

When it was around lunchtime, Sola suggested that their parents take the girls out for lunch. With the girls practically begging their grandparents to take them to the one restaurant they all loved, they could not refuse. Padme thanked her sister for getting them to leave for a few hours but it was obvious she had ulterior motives. "I saw Anakin in the lobby." She said, "Am I right to assume he's been up to see you?"

Padme nodded, "He comes to see me after mom and dad leave."

"And?" She asked, "Where exactly are you with him?"

She furrowed her brow, "We're still together." She said, "We have some things to work out, but we'll figure it out."

Sola shook her head, "How?" She asked, "How do you plan to fix this? How do you plan to make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"I don't know." Padme said with a sigh, "We're going to talk about it. But after I get out of here."

"I don't like this, Padme," Sola said, "I know he makes you happy but-"

"Sola," She interrupted, "I know. I know you and mom and dad don't like him. But please, I need you on my side when I say that I know what I'm doing. I need you to trust that I am doing everything I can to make sure this can work."

She nodded her head, "I trust you," She said, "And… if it means that much to you, I'll back you up against mom and dad and give him a chance."

Padme smiled, "That's all I want."

Sola took the seat next to the bed and leaned back in it, "When are you going to tell them by the way?" She asked, "They obviously don't know you're dating him."

She groaned, "Well I was planning on telling them before he left… now I think we're back to square one again so… I don't know."

Sola smiled, "Well, just hope they hear it from you and not someone else."

[][][][]

Padme sighed as she fell back into her couch in her apartment. It had taken three weeks for her to be discharged and it was arguably the best day she's ever had. Anakin was there with her and helped to arrange her pillows to keep her leg supported properly. She was still recovering and had a brace on her leg so she wasn't allowed back to work just yet. She still had weeks ahead of physical therapy to get back in working condition. When he finished adjusting the pillows Anakin took the seat next to her outstretched leg and kicked his feet up on her coffee table.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand. He gladly took it and rubbed his thumb on her knuckle. "What's on your mind?" He asked.

She sighed. She promised herself she would start the conversation when she got home. And now that she was, she wished she could postpone it just a little longer. But she can't do that. She can't leave this unresolved. "Ani… we need to talk."

He furrowed his brow and shifted to face her more, "What about?"

She held his hand in both of hers, "What happened with your mother."

Anakin released her hand and leaned back against the arm of the couch, "We don't need to talk about that." He said, "It's in the past."

Padme leans back into the pillow, "Anakin-"

"Padme," He interrupts, "We really don't need to talk about it."

"And I think we do." She said with a knit in her brow, "I don't want this to end up like the last time when we didn't talk about our problems and end things again. I want this to work and this isn't going to unless we talk. Please, just be honest with me."

Anakin scoffs, "You want me to tell you what I think? I think this conversation is pointless. I think it is a waste of time talking about this when nothing said is going to change what has happened."

She furrows her brow, "It might not change what happened but it will help both of us accept it and understand where the other stands."

He scoffs, "I've already accepted it." He argued, "She's dead. What else is there to get?"

"You lied to me." Padme said, "You never said anything about your mother being sick before. We'd been dating for weeks by the time she came in. And not once did you ever think to tell me- your girlfriend- that your mother has a brain tumor. You never even told me you were living in the hospital." She shakes her head, "If you had told me, I would have let you move in with me a long time ago. Or I would have at least forced Ben to let you stay with him. But you didn't. You couldn't trust me."

He shakes his head, "It's not trust, Padme." He said, "It didn't concern you," He said.

The knit in her brow deepened, "There's more to it than that." She said, "Just tell me."

I…" He sighs, "I didn't want to think about it." He admitted, crossing his arms across his chest, "Whenever I was with you, I was… happy- happier than I had been in a long time. I didn't want to ruin that with a horrible reality."

"Anakin…" She understood. While she didn't agree with his course of action, she understood. He had been running even before his mother had died. "You couldn't keep running from it forever." She said.

He nodded, "I know. But I didn't know how to stop."

As long as she's known Anakin, he has always preferred to focus on the good and ignore the bad. He liked to think that problems will fix themselves in time and that they should just enjoy what time they have and not let the bad spoil it. That's exactly how he tried to get out of this talk, and it seemed to be his reasoning behind not telling her anything as well. Padme always found this mindset is contradictory to his profession; but perhaps the reason he can confront those problems is because they aren't necessarily his problem. He has to fix it, but he isn't emotionally involved.

"And when she died, I just… I had to get out of there."

"You did more than that," Padme said, her bitterness over the month he was gone finally rearing its head, "You disappeared. I came back to an empty apartment. No phone call, no note… nothing. I had no idea if you were okay. I waited weeks to hear from you and I got nothing."

Anakin hung his head, "I know."

"You know, but you don't know how difficult that was for me." She said, "I was worried. And I know people grieve in their own way… but if you loved me, like you say you do. Wouldn't you have at least called to tell me you were okay?"

"I should have." He said.

"But you didn't."

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, "If you want me to apologize, I will; everyday for however long it takes to make up for it."

Padme shook her head, "I don't want an apology," She said, "You already said it enough. I want to know why? Why didn't you call? Where did you go?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he let his head fall back to rest on the back of the couch, "Army Medical Center." He said. "At first I was just volunteering to help out on a few surgeries, then the Colonel offered a job and I took it." He sighed and kicked his feet off the table, shifting to rest his elbows on his knees.

"You weren't planning on coming back, were you?" She asked.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Not at first, no." He said, "I wasn't sure how I could work at the place my mom died. I wasn't sure how I was suppose to work with the doctors who…" He paused and looked at the ground.

"Killed her." Padme finished.

Anakin shook his head, "That's not-"

"It's what you wanted to say." Padme finished, "You say you don't blame me, and yet-"

"I don't!" He practically shouted, shifting to face her more, "I don't blame you. I don't hate you. I wanted to, but I don't." He takes a moment to calm down, taking a deep breath and looking down with his eyes closed before he looks back at her, "My mom had just died and you and Farr had been the ones to tell me she was gone. It's a hard pill to swallow and I needed time to figure out how to come to terms with it."

Padme shakes her head, "That's what I don't get." She said, "How can you look at me, and not see the doctor who let her die? How can you not be reliving the moment she died over and over again?" Every time she tells someone that their loved one is dead, she knows that her face is the one they will see every time they remember that day. Her face, and her voice is what they will associate with death; how can Anakin not see that?

He smiles, "Because I know you." He said, "All the memories I have of you- the times we spent walking around the city, going drinking, our first kiss, all the dates lattes, bear claws, and everything else in between- out weigh the damage of one terrible moment." He brings his hand to her cheek and strokes it gently with his thumb.

She pulls away from him and crosses her arms over her chest, "It can't be that simple." She said, "You didn't just suddenly decide 'everything is okay' something happened."

He nods, "Yeah." He said as he scratched the back of his neck, "Nejaa Halcyon came in to the center."

Padme furrowed her brow, "Who?"

His gaze fell back to the floor, "He was my… my shrink." He said, "Before I could be deployed, I needed a psych eval done." He said, "Halcyon did mine. He asked me about everything from my childhood to… well, you."

"You told him about us?"

Anakin shrugged, "Well, the divorce was still pretty recent then and apparently it was obvious I wasn't joining for patriotic reasons or delusions of grandeur, so yeah, I told him about us. Anyway, he cleared me to go, but he kept in touch to help with my… anger problems- which actually helped a lot. So when he came to the medical center, he asked how I ended up there, and I told him." He shook his head, "I should have been able to figure it out sooner, but he was the one who told me to just get my head out of my ass and call. So I did. But I had no idea what to say." He turned his head to meet her gaze again, "But you had a lot to say. And I realized I was being such a dick to you. You don't deserve that, not from anyone and least of all me." Padme takes a shaky breath. It was him that called. She's happy he did, but at the same time it worries her, mostly because someone had to tell him to do it. Would he have done it if Nejaa hadn't said anything? She watches as Anakin takes a deep breath, "I should have been better than that." He said, "I realize that. I know I fucked up. And I should have been a better man than that. I'm sorry."

Padme took his hand in hers, "I know." She said, "I know you're sorry. And I know you want to be better. But we have a lot of work ahead of us if we're going to make this work." She reached for his face and cupped his jaw gently, "We can't keep secrets like that from one another." She said, "We have to trust each other. We have to be able to lean on the other when things get bad." Padme let her hand drop from his face, "If we can't do that… this isn't going to work."

"I want this to work." He said, "I want to be with you."

"Then all you have to do is trust me."

Anakin smiles, "I think I can do that." He said as he leaned forward.

"I'm serious, Anakin." She said, leaning away from him, "I love you, but I don't think I can take another incident like this."

He can see that she means it. He can see that if he doesn't hold up his promise this time, its over- for good. He leans towards her again and gives her hand a gentle squeeze, "It won't." He promises, "I trust you. And I won't let this happen again."

Padme nodded, "Good." She said, leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms. Silence spreads out between them as they let the exchange sink in. Their eyes meet every once in a while but for the most part they look away. This was more difficult than either of them anticipated but it was over now. And yet there is still more they need to work out, one of which should probably be a work boundary to prevent either of them working on people they care about. But that is something they can talk about later. They have started the process; and while they fix what was broken in the past months, they can also improve on it as well so this relationship can last.

When their eyes meet, Padme smiles at him and he returns it. Sitting she starts to shift her body so she can sit closer to him. He helps her adjust her pillows again and once she is situated properly with her leg supported by the coffee table, she pulls his arm so he is sitting right next to her before she leans on him. Anakin smiles and moves his arm to wrap around her shoulders and holds her close to him as they relax into the couch, relishing the moment of calm they have now.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello! If I am being honest, I am horrible at writing arguments. They are the most difficult things to write especially since I don't want anyone to end up sounding petty or like they are over reacting. I imagine there will be a few more arguments in the future, so I hope they get better as I do more.

How many more chapters do I have left in this story? I want to say... 5 but it may be 8. I have a few ideas that may or may not make it into this story. After I finish this I am jumping into the prequel story and when that is done then the sequel. I have found in my drafting process I sometimes got the personalities mixed up since Anakin in this story is way more mature than he is in the prequel.

Anyway, Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 18

Padme woke early in the morning with a groan. Blinking away sleep she remembers she had been discharged the day before. Smiling she lets her head relax into her own pillow. She was home. The smile quickly fades when she remembers she is still on leave until her leg is strong enough to be on for more than six hours, which will take weeks of therapy and bed rest. Closing her eyes she sighs. What is she suppose to do until then? Breathing in deep she can smell the alluring scent of bacon alerts her to someone cooking. Sitting up she braces her arm on the nightstand to help her stand before slowly taking the cane to help her walk and limped out of the room. She hated the cane. After sitting or laying down for long periods of time it was easy to forget she needed the thing to walk until she stood and felt pain ripple down her leg.

Walking slowly towards the kitchen she can see Anakin's back as he cooks something on the stove. It sizzles and sends a wave of hunger through her system. He turns around with a frying pan and tongs and picks up the toasted English muffins in the pan and places them on the plate he has sitting on the island counter. Putting the pan in the sink he begins to lay down the crispy ham on top of the muffins before looking up to see her making her way over. He smiles at her, "Morning." He said.

"What are you doing?" She asks as she pulls out the chair to sit.

"Making breakfast." He says simply, coming around the counter to help her get comfortable.

Padme looks at what he's been doing and notices that there is fresh food lying on the cutting boards she doesn't remember buying. "Where did all this come from?"

He moves back around the counter and cracks an egg into a teacup, "I woke up early and thought you'd like breakfast," He said, "But you really didn't have a lot besides a couple eggs and cereal. So I went to get some." Using the cup he carefully drops the egg into the pot and repeats the process with another egg.

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He said as the eggs cooked. It takes a few minutes before he takes the eggs out of the pot and lays them on top of the ham before taking the hollandaise sauce he had made earlier and coats the eggs with it. Taking chopped chives, he sprinkles it on the sauce before picking the plate up and putting it in front of her. "Eggs Benedict." He said with a smile.

She raises a skeptical brow at him, "You don't cook." She said.

He comes to take the seat next to her and serves himself two of the four eggs he made, "I did say I wanted to though." He said, cutting into the food and taking a bite.

Padme smiled and took a bite as well. It was good- really good. "Where did you-"

"YouTube." He answered.

"Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I don't have time to take a cooking class with a bunch of middle aged women who want to be the next Martha Stewart."

Padme laughed and shook her head. She's missed this. The small, silly things he says that make her laugh.

"When do you go in for therapy?" He asks.

"Ten." She answered, "They also have me going to see psych at one." She said.

"I'll give you a ride." He said.

Padme shakes her head, "No, don't you have to be there earlier?" she knows the answer is yes. Yoda is still be pissed at him for resigning so suddenly; there was no way he was just going to let him do as he pleases.

He shrugs, "I'm pretty sure everyone knows I live with you now." He said, "they won't think anything if I come in late since you can't drive yet."

"Dorme was going in late today so she's going to pick me up on her way in, it's really no problem." She said.

"Well call her and tell her there's no need."

She narrows her eyes at him, "I appreciate it, but you shouldn't put work off just for me." She knows he's just trying to be nice but it's not fair to either of them if they do stuff like this for one another. He has to be at work and she can easily get another ride- she already had another ride.

"Padme, why can't I do this one thing for you?" He asks.

"I really don't want to argue about this now."

He scoffs, "It wouldn't be an argument if you'd just let me."

"Anakin," Padme starts. She pauses to take a breath and run a hand through her hair, "Please; Dorme is picking me up nine. You are going to work when you're supposed to and we'll talk about this later." She notices how his shoulders tense and can tell he is upset. But someone needs to draw the line. There has to be some balance between work and their personal life. And as much as she doesn't want to argue about this either, it's better to argue over a small thing like this and establish the precedent now than wait for a bigger conflict to come up.

He nods his head once, "Alright." He says, his voice tense as he shifts his attention back to breakfast.

Padme sighs as they finish eating in silence. It isn't a big deal; he's making something out of nothing. While she is glad he has the sense to drop it for now, she knows there are going to be many more arguments like this until they figure everything out. He will understand why she is doing this quickly so that they can talk about this without arguing as much.

By the time it's seven, Anakin is just finishing getting ready for work. Pulling on his jacket he stops behind the couch Padme is sitting on with her laptop resting on her lap. "You sure you don't need me to drive you?" He asks.

"I'm sure," she says turning her head to him. She gives him a small smile as he leans down to press a quick kiss to her lips. Bringing her hand up, she grips his hair tightly before letting him pull back slightly, "I'll see you when you get home." She says.

[][][][]

Anakin groans as he reads through the chart of one of Mina Bonteri's patients. Apparently the chief felt he needed his cardiothoracic surgeon to remove a bowel obstruction. He was just not having a good day. First Padme, and now he has the crazy girl who decided to eat parasitic worms to lose weight. It was ridiculous and beyond stupid and now he had to fix it. Glancing at his watch he had about an hour before he was due in the OR and Padme should be here by now waiting to go up to her psych eval. He didn't know why she was so against him taking her in today. All he did this morning was refresh the residents on proper packing techniques on trauma patients. It wasn't anything they haven't already done countless times before. So why was she so adamant that he go? What was so wrong with trying to help his girlfriend?

"Anakin." Ben called as he came to stand beside him, "How are things with Padme?" He asked and Anakin sighed, "Not perfect, I take it." Ben said.

"I thought it would at least be a few days before we argued again." He said, "Turns out we don't get a moment of peace now that things are almost normal." Anakin shakes his head; "Anyway," He starts, changing the subject, "Lets not talk about my love life. Lets talk about yours."

Ben raises an eyebrow at him, "Pardon?"

"Satine," He said, as if it was the most obvious answer.

The older man shakes his head, "No, we're not doing this," He said, "Besides, nothing is going on between us."

Anakin smirks, "I heard you're going out for drinks with her tonight."

"And just where did you hear that?" Ben demanded.

"The nurses know everything." He said with a shrug.

Ben shakes his head, "its just drinks between friends." He argued. "It doesn't mean anything."

Anakin can't help but laugh. Ben could be so dense sometimes. Everyone knew Satine liked him. But he seemed to be in constant denial. "Keep telling yourself that." He said, patting Ben on the back before walking away.

He made his way down to the lobby. Perhaps she was in a better mood than she was this morning. He saw her sitting in one of the chairs by the window. Dorme was next to her and the two seemed to be talking about something serious, evident by the serious look on both their faces. He had a feeling it was probably about him and rather than let them make him out to be the bad guy, he figured it was best to try to clear things up. He walked towards them and smiled when her eyes met his. Dorme was quick to whisper a few hushed words to her before leaving the seat and getting to work.

"What was that about?" He asked, coming to stand in front of her.

Padme was about to say 'nothing' but since they had just agreed not to lie to one another, it would have been hypocritical to claim it was nothing when it was anything but. She sighed, "It was about this morning." She said.

Anakin nodded and took the seat Dorme had vacated, "I know you said we'd talk about it when we got home," He started, "But I gotta know what you're thinking."

The way he said it was much calmer than he had been before. She wasn't sure if now was the best time to talk about it, but at least stating what her initial thoughts were now would give them both ample time to process the idea before dropping it on him suddenly. "There are still a lot of things we need to work out," She said, "And I think one of those things is work boundaries." She could see he was a little confused by her words, "I don't want you to make sacrifices at work for me. And I don't want you to ask that of me either."

Anakin raised a brow, "That's what this is about?" He asked, "I just teach an anatomy class in the morning." He said, "It's not like a surgery."

Padme groaned, "That's not the point." She said, "It doesn't matter if it was a surgery or not. I just think we should just figure all this out sooner rather than later."

He understood… sort of. He wanted them to resolve their problems and find out how to move forward. But he didn't think work was an issue. They were in different specializations so running into each other was mostly on breaks or when they are called down to the ER and he didn't think missing the first two hours so he could help her get to where she had to be was a problem. Other couples do it all the time; just because they're doctors shouldn't make a difference. He nods his head, "I know we should figure it out fast;" He started, "but do we have to do it right then and there every time one of those issues comes up?" He asks, "We only just got over one thing. We need more time between these talks than just a night." He didn't want every day to have some kind of serious talk about how this relationship would function. They needed those talks, but they also just needed the casual talks as well; the meaningless and mundane that make even the most stressful and tiring days feel like bliss.

"I know what we're like," She said, "If we put this off we'll never get around to it until it's too late. I don't want that to happen." Padme glances down at her watch. She has about ten minutes before she has to be at psych and with her leg still in a brace and sore from therapy it would take a while to get up there. "I've got to go." She said, taking her cane and using it to help balance herself as she stands. Anakin wordlessly takes her other arm and helps her. "Thanks," She says as she starts to walk slowly towards the elevator.

He would have offered to walk with her. But he could tell she was tense from talking about this. Scratching the back of his neck, he shoves his other hand in his pocket before making his way down to the OR. He knows they'll talk more about this at home.

[][][][]

Padme leaned back into the couch as she waited for Dr. Shaak Ti to clear her psychologically. She had spent the last hour talking to her about the sink hole and how she felt like she could make a difference if she went in to save them knowing the danger she was in, she talked about how the collapse made her feel, and how losing all her patients in that building while she stayed alive made her feel. She didn't feel guilty for surviving. She had read through the charts and most of it came down to the fact that she had not been injured before the collapse and where the debris hit them. She had been lucky. Lucky to have been where she was in the collapse; lucky she had been able to use her hand to make a sound to get help; lucky Anakin had come looking for her; lucky he was a cardiothoracic surgeon and knew she needed an emergency thoracotomy. She was lucky.

"You have a very interesting relationship with Dr. Skywalker." Shaak Ti said after a moment, "Just to clarify: you dated prior to his resignation and broke up just before he left. The accident happens and he drops everything to come back to you." Shaak Ti puts her pen down and folds her hands over her lap, "Forgive me if I overstep, isn't that just a bit… problematic? The relationship didn't work before, so what changed?"

"I thought this meeting was just to confirm I wasn't emotionally scarred by the incident." Padme said, "I don't think my personal relationships have to do with anything."

Shaak Ti smiled, "And I think they do. Since you got back with him, how have things been? Any arguments? Tense moments? Have you been intimate?"

Padme's eyes widen at the last question, "No!" She said quickly, shifting uncomfortably, "We weren't intimate before either." She said, "As for arguments, there have been some. But that's normal. We're resolving our problems."

Shaak Ti nodded and started to write down her notes.

Padme furrowed her brow, "And just what are you writing?" She demanded.

"Nothing you need to worry about." She said.

"My relationship isn't a problem." She argued.

"I never said it was." Shaak Ti said, "I think I would like to speak with the both of you though."

Padme shook her head, "I don't think that's necessary."

"And I think it is." She said, "I think you weren't the only one effected by the sinkhole. And its only right that I make sure everyone is fine." Glancing down at her notepad she writes something else, "If the both of you are free next Wednesday, I'd like to have you and Dr. Skywalker see me at one. If that time works for you."

[][][][]

Padme sat in bed with a bag of chips in her lap and her laptop sitting open in the middle of the bed. She was watching the live stream of the International Neurological Convention. Every year the convention features the lead neuroscientists discussing the latest findings of their research. Most of the work is just beginning the process of getting published, so there was little chance she was going to get the chance to use it in the near future- if ever. But the findings are always interesting; the brain is the most important part of the body. Without it, nothing works; not the liver, not the lungs, not even the heart. Without the brain controlling and organizing the body, there is nothing.

As fascinating as the convention is- with talk of stem cell research repairing damaged optical nerves and new research in the reduction of tumors- she can't pay attention to it. Shaak Ti wants to talk to her and Anakin. And that's not something she wants to do. Anakin doesn't need therapy- he's fine, maybe even better than her since he wasn't in there as long as she was. They were both fine. The only thing going in would do, would tell her that their relationship was… rocky at the moment. Maybe she could tell them helpful things to do to quicken this discovery process; but maybe she would tell them what everyone else seems to be telling her: end it. Sola and Dorme have accepted and supported her choice to take Anakin back; but the two also have reservations about it as well. She can tell neither is confident this will work. They don't say it, but they really don't have to. She can tell.

She hears the front door open and the sound of footsteps in the living room. Anakin's back. When he comes into the bedroom he immediately climbs into his side of the bed, scooting close enough that he can see what she's watching. "Brainy stuff, why am I not surprised." He says as she rolls her eyes at him. "How'd it go?" He asked. Padme sighed and let her head fall back to hit the pillow. She could hear him laugh at her reaction, "That bad?"

"Tell me about your surgery." She said as she rolled onto her side to look at him, "I've been bedridden for weeks, I need a good surgery story."

Anakin groans as he turns to face her, resting his face in his hand, "Sorry to say mine isn't all that good. Bowel obstruction."

Padme furrows her brow, "Really?" Yoda must really be mad at him.

"Yeah, tapeworms. Teenage girl wanted to lose weight."

She shakes her head, "People really don't think about consequences do they?"

"I think they do." He said, "They just don't always think it'll be them." He reaches over and gently touches her arm, caressing it and flashing her a smile, "Now tell me about your day." He said.

Padme sighed. It's now or never. "Shaak Ti wants you to come with me next week." She said.

"Why?"

She shakes her head, "She has her reasons. But the reasons she tells me I don't think they're really the reason she wants to talk to you."

He nods his head, "And when is that exactly?"

"Wednesday, but you don't have to," She said, "I know we're both fine."

"Until we start talking about how we're going to work." He mumbles.

Padme furrows her brow and shifts closer to him, "What does that mean?"

Anakin rolls onto his back and lets out a tired sigh, "You've been out of the hospital for a little over a day and we've already had two arguments." He said, turning his head to look at her a moment, "The first, I get that one. We needed to have that one; but the other... really didn't need to happen. At least not when it did."

Padme reached her hand for his cheek, "You know why though."

"I do, but I don't want to do it everyday. And I know you think we'll just put it off. But we won't. If we both want it to work, we'll get there." Anakin moved his hand to hold the back of her neck gently and gave her a small smile, "I've been patient with you and only moving however much you want me to. Do you think it's possible we can figure this out at my pace? Maybe take things a week at a time so we can both think about what works and what doesn't and what we can live with? I really don't want to fight more than we have to."

Padme moved her hand to cover the wrist of the hand holding her neck and rubbed it with the pad of her thumb. He really didn't ask much of her- just that they don't do this everyday. It was fair and as much as she wants to just get all of it over and done with, she can slow down for his sake. Nodding her head, she watched the smile on his face broaden before he moved his head closer; she closed her eyes and parted her lips, waiting for his to connect to hers. And when they did, she didn't want it to end. Her hand found its way into his hair and tugged it gently; keeping him in place while her other hand moved the bag of chips away. His hand closed her laptop and picked it up and as he moved closer to her placed it on her nightstand.

With the laptop gone, his hand found her waist. He resisted the urge to pull her closer to him; well aware her leg was still too hurt for them to do more. And as much as he wanted to take her right at that moment, he was more than happy to leave things as they are. She was ready. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. And the knowledge that his patience has paid off gives him the strength to hold out just a little longer.

When they finally pull back, they are both panting and smiling broadly at the other. They hadn't expected it to go that far. Both had expected a quick kiss before bed but now they are both sitting there, hot and bothered and yet still relishing the bliss of being in the presence of the other.

Padme touches her forehead to his, her hands cupping his cheeks while his hand is on her waist. She closes her eyes and sighs, "I wish I didn't have this stupid brace." She says.

"So do I." He said, stroking his thumb along the waistband of her pants, "there is so much I want to do with you." He said.

She smiles and presses her lips to his slowly before pulling back. His head cranes to follow hers and she smirks, "Just a few weeks." She says.

"By then maybe we'll have all this worked out too." He said.

"I hope so, Ani." She said, letting her hand drop to allow him to get up from the bed so he can get changed. He was right. They needed more of these moments. All of this was going to take an emotional toll on them and over time it will only make resolving the problems more difficult. But at least they are communicating now. They are telling each other where they stand and it is working. She can only hope this trend continues.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello! So close to wrapping this thing up and I am so excited and sad that it is almost over! This chapter was particularly difficult because I've never been in therapy and the closest I got to figuring out how all this should go down is by reading those cheesy articles on 'the ten things needed in a successful relationship' yada yada yada. Hopefully it sounds realistic enough because oddly enough, surgery is easier to write. You cut people open and you can easily find diagrams of all the organs and blood vessels and actual medical conditions with detailed descriptions of causes and treatment. Psychology is way harder since this is stuff you can't really see; you see the effects but you can't really see the thing itself.

Anyway, enough of my rant, Enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 19

Shaak Ti's office was a little larger than the patient rooms in the delivery wing of the hospital. It has a couch, two chairs and a desk where Shaak sat with her notepad neatly organized in front of her. She smiled at them as she waited for them to get comfortable. Anakin sitting on the end of the sofa with Padme sitting right next to him and letting him wrap is arm around the back of the couch. "I'm sorry for asking you to take time off for this meeting, Dr. Skywalker." She said.

He nodded, "It's fine." He said, "And just call me Anakin."

"Of course." She said as she moved from her desk to one of the chairs, crossing her legs and resting her pad on her lap before folding her fingers over it, "Let's start with the basic How are you? Question." She says.

Anakin shrugs, "Fine- eager for things to get back to normal- but fine."

"And what does normal mean to you?"

"Yoda not assigning me rectal exams for one." He said, "Cardiothoracic surgery, Padme no longer in that brace and back at work."

Shaak nodded, "And how does seeing Padme hurt make you feel?"

"Bad."

"Guilty?" She asked.

Anakin shakes his head, "No." He said, though not with as much conviction as his previous answers.

Shaak takes a moment to jot a note on her pad, "What about when she was in surgery?" She asked, "That must not have been a pleasant wait; several hours of not knowing what was going on."

He nods, "It was terrifying."

"What were you afraid of?"

Anakin furrows his brow and glances between Padme and Shaak Ti, "Losing her." He said.

"Were you afraid you made a mistake?"

"What does that mean?" Padme asked.

Shaak looked at Anakin and nodded, "Tell her." She said.

Anakin looked at Padme and he could see she was afraid what he would say. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. That day had not been easy for him either. He might not have been hurt, and he functioned just fine. But he'd be lying if he said he was just as good as he was before this mess. He sighed, and looked at Padme, "You went unconscious before they pulled you out." He said, "When they got you hooked up to the monitors, you went into V-tech. You weren't going to make it. Your stats were too low." Anakin took a shaky breath, "I did an emergency thoracotomy on you in the ambulance." He said, his gaze falling the floor in front of him, "I cut into your side and pushed your ribs out of the way so I could grip your heart. I had your blood all over me. I had your heart in my hand. And I kept it beating until you got into an OR and Ben put you on bypass." He shook his head, "I almost lost you." He said, "I almost lost you and waiting for you to come out, I was afraid they'd tell me I did something wrong."

Padme reached over and took his hand, "You didn't." She said, "You… you saved me." She said barely above a whisper "You saved me." She said again slightly louder and with a smile crossing her face.

"There is clearly a lot of baggage here," Shaak said, directing their attention to her, "What you both need to do, is acknowledge that you both have scars from this event. If you want to move forward, you need to clear the past. You need to talk about it, and do more than just 'work on it' you need to resolve it. And that means more than just working past the problem. It means confronting it. Talking about it. Accepting that it happened and being able to live with it."Shaak pauses and glances down at the calendar on her pad, "I want you both to start on that and come back next week, same time, alright?"

Anakin and Padme nod their heads and leave the office together. The walk to the car is silent as they process what was said. Anakin had not wanted to talk about what he did. He knew Padme didn't like that he hadn't told her, but he could also tell she was worried for him. He hasn't spoken a word since he finished telling what happened. Walking through the door of the apartment, he takes off his jacket and throws it onto the back of the couch before falling into it. "Ani." Padme says as she comes to sit beside him, "Ani please say something." She said.

He sighed, "What do you want me to say?" He asked. He didn't know what to say. Tell her how he felt? Right now he felt drained. When she had been in the hospital before she woke up, he had nightmares that this was the dream and the reality was he had killed her. He made a mistake, he pumped too slowly and her brain was deprived of oxygen too long and she died. Even after she woke up, he was afraid he would wake up and find it was all just a dream. Add to that how he thought none of this would have happened if he had stayed or come back sooner, and it's just a cocktail of horrible feelings.

"Just say something," She said. He shook his head, "How long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?" She asked, "We agreed on it, and yet-"

"I almost killed you." He said, "I didn't, but I could have. And I just…" He scoffs and lets his head fall back to rest on the back of the couch.

Padme moves to sit beside him stroking his head with her hand, "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, "You had plenty of time and you just…

He shook his head, "I didn't want to think about it." He said, "The scar in your side is reminder enough."

She smiles, "A reminder that I'm alive; that you made sure I didn't die."

"A reminder that if I hadn't been such a selfish ass, none of this would have happened."

Now she understood. He could forgive her from what happened with his mother, but he couldn't forgive himself for what he didn't do. She never blamed him for any of this. She was mad at him for leaving, probably still is on some level; but she loves him. And that to her, means she is strong enough to let go. "Ani," She starts, unsure how to get him to see that. Her hand comes to rest on his collarbone and she feels the small bump of one of his scars. She smiles, "Take off your shirt." She says.

"What?" He says, raising his brow at her.

"Take off your shirt." She says again, her fingers already pulling the material up to reveal the strong muscles of his stomach. Slowly, he complies and throws the shirt over the back of the couch.

Her fingers firmly trace some of his scars; a small smile plays at the corners of her lips. As she watches her hands trail up his torso to come to rest on his chest. Her eyes continue the trail to his eyes and she sees the confusion in her demand. "Do you remember when you first showed these to me?" She asked, "I freaked out. I blamed myself for them because I thought if we hadn't broken up, you would have been fine." She paused as she let her finger trace over the scar on his shoulder he told her about. "Do you remember what you told me? You told me that life is too short to waste. That you'd rather look to an infinite future than a past that is already over." Padme shifted to sit up more, reaching for the hem of her shirt she started to lift it up.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his eyes wide as she pulls the shirt off, leaving her in her bra. His mouth hangs open slightly as his eyes trail her chest and abdomen. The red scars a sharp contrast to her fair skin.

She smiles and takes his hand, bringing it to the scar that cuts at her ribs under her arm, "Scars fade, Ani." She said, "That's what you told me. They are reminders of a horrible moment in our lives, but they won't be there forever." She drags his hand back to cover her heart, "But this isn't really a bad memory." She says, "It was a terrible day, but this;" She presses his hand down so he can really feel her pulse, "This wouldn't still be beating if you did nothing. And you have nothing to feel guilty about. There is nothing to forgive." Padme watches as his brow furrows as his eyes focus on where his hand is.

Anakin gives a small smile as she finished speaking. She was using his words against him. And he loved it. He loved how this woman just knew what to say, knew how to remind him of the man he wanted to be. Without her he is miserable. Without her he is nothing. His eyes follow the column of her neck, to her perfect lips, then to the beauty mark on her cheek before finally meeting her eyes. Sitting up, he leans towards her and brings his other hand to cup the back of her neck. "Don't do that to me again." He says, referring to the sinkhole, "Don't ever die on me."

Padme smiles and leans close enough to him she can feel his breath, "Only if you don't." She said, "Promise we won't die on the other." She said, "Promise we'll be together."

"Promise." He said, leaning forward to kiss her. "I wish you didn't have that damn brace." He muttered.

[][][][]

By the time the next appointment with Shaak Ti came around, Anakin and Padme had worked on coming to terms with the events of the sinkhole and the ones leading up to it. Their scars had been bared to one another, ripped open and then they helped each other close them again. It was a painful process and they had to relive the worst weeks of their lives. But in the end, they started to feel better. They got a better feel for who they are as a couple and where lines should be drawn. Shaak Ti took her seat across from the couch as she had the last time as they took their seats. The first thing she asked of them was to talk about what progress they made and how it made them feel. Shaak listened and nodded her head as they spoke and occasionally made a note on her pad.

"I see you've made progress," She says, "But I still have concerns."

"What kind of concerns?" Padme asked.

"The two of you have a very interesting relationship." She said, "Something bad happens, you run away, you claim you love each other, but having just gotten back together, there have already been several arguments with moments of denial in between. And when people question it, you get tense and defensive."

Padme narrowed her eyes at the psychologist, "We're fine." She said, "As you said, we've made progress, and we will continue to make progress. And just because I was tense, doesn't mean anything." She argued, "Maybe I just don't like therapists."

Shaak smiled at her, "Understandable, not many people like someone digging around in their heads. I suppose you and I have that in common at least. But I am just making my observations known." She said, "You have accepted what happened. But now you have to move past it."

"We're already doing that," Anakin said.

She smiled, "Are you?" She asked, "Because if you were moving past it, I'd imagine you would be agreeing to boundaries without worrying about what has already happened." She said, "It is important that the two of you realize that past mistakes do not define the direction things will go. You have learned from them, and you have to trust that the other has as well. You are working on boundaries. But I'd like to suggest something else, something to help simplify the process." Shaak Ti folded her hands over her lap; "Have sex." She said, ignoring the surprised looks they were giving her, "Physical intimacy is proven to have a wide variety of psychological benefits that will make talking about this easier. Shaak glanced down at her calendar, "I will see you two in… two weeks. Or earlier if you need it."

After leaving the office, the two of them stood there for several moments, digesting the advice they had been given. Anakin scratches the back of his neck, "I don't think I've ever been prescribed sex before." He said.

"Me neither." She said, her fingers fidgeting on the handle of the cane.

Anakin noticed it and his eyes trailed over her body, remembering the other night when she sat next to him in just her bra. It was the closest they have gotten to having sex since he first started to pursue her. They both wanted it. They both need it. And they are both being denied by the same thing. "I hate that brace." He said.

Padme nodded, "You're not the one wearing it." She said, her eyes meeting his, "I can't wait till they tell me I can burn it."

He smirks at her, "I'd be more than happy to help with that."

[][][][]

"So basically, Satine is mad at Ben because she kissed him and he just walked away?" Padme asked as they waited for the waiter to come back with their dinner. It was their first date night since they got back together. It wasn't planned. Anakin had gotten back from the hospital earlier than normal, asked if she had dinner yet, then asked if she wanted to go out. It was spontaneous. And random, yet so Anakin and she loved it.

He nodded, "Yeah, and you really do not want to be in an OR with both of them." He said as he reached into the breadbasket, ripping a roll in half; "It's bad. Really bad. Like if there wasn't a patient open on the table, they'd kill each other bad."

Padme shook her head, "It couldn't have been that bad." He had a tendency to exaggerate, though she can't say she wouldn't have been that mad if she were in Satine's shoes. If Anakin had done something like that, she probably would have punched him. But he'd never react like that. He would spend the whole day kissing her if he could. "Satine is more sensible than to be petty because he isn't good with showing affection."

Anakin gives a shrug, "Maybe." He admitted. Reaching across the table, he entwined their fingers, rubbing his thumb lovingly across her knuckle, "I'm just glad neither of us were ever that dense."

Padme smiled and leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table, "Well, you were rather obvious." She said, "Who says 'I'm going to marry you' after knowing them for ten minutes?"

He smirked, "I was nine and had yet to master the art of flirtation." He defended.

Her eyes narrowed playfully at him, "Are you calling your cheesy pick up lines flirting?"

"They worked on you." He said with a shrug, letting go of her hand when he saw their meals coming from the kitchen.

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. His idea of flirting was… different. He could be funny in a way that is reminiscent of 90's romcoms; but he was also… honest. The way he complimented her… it was more than just pretty words strung loosely together. They reached his eyes. She could see that whatever he said, every time he said she was beautiful or called her an angel, he meant it. And yes, it did work on her, but then again, why wouldn't it?

Padme looked up from the pasta dish in front of him and watched as he cut into his steak. After everything that has happened, she can't believe her luck that she is still with this man. The past two months have been so emotionally draining with one problem following another; and yet here they are. Together, enjoying dinner as if the world is not fighting them. No serious talks about the future, no worries, just them. In the moment.

Anakin looks up from his steak and meets her eyes, "What?"

She shakes her head, "Nothing," She says, reaching for his hand again and he gives it to her freely, "Just wondering what I did that made me so lucky to be here with you."

He smiles, "I was just wondering the same thing." He said, "You are far too perfect for me."

Padme squeezes his hand tightly and shakes her head, "No, You're too good for me."

Anakin laughs, "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"Have you?"

Putting down his fork, he takes her hand in both of his, "I've known from the moment we met, that you were way out of my league. You were beautiful- even more so now- intelligent, compassionate, ambitious; you are more than I ever expected. More than I deserve, especially after all of this shit we've gone through."

Padme fights back the tears welling up in her eyes from his words. He really does not see how perfect he is. "Ani-"

"We can argue about who doesn't deserve who for the rest of our lives." He says, "But that won't change the fact that everything I just said is true. You're perfect."

"So are you." She said, trying to convey with her eyes just how much she means it. And it works. He returns the gaze and for several minutes they forget everything and simply relish their moment of pure contentment until the waiter comes to refill their drinks.

[][][][]

Padme sat on the exam as Dr. Windu examined her leg. Following her physical therapy session that day, they had sent her to see him straight away. For a moment she had been afraid she did something wrong. But she felt fine. She has been feeling fine. Doing the exercises she was instructed to do no longer tired her out and she felt like the range of motion in the limb was just as good as it had been before. There couldn't be something wrong. She isn't sure how many more weeks she can take in the damn brace. Though she does have to admit it is better than being stuck in a cast.

Windu had her flex her leg and squeezed around where her leg had been broken, feeling for abnormalities before rotating on the stool to look at the x-rays he ordered. Holding them up to the light, Padme tilted her head a little to see for herself. She might not be an orthopedic surgeon, but she knew a healthy leg when she saw one.

"I think everything is good here," He said after a moment, returning the scans to its folder, "The patella is moving the way it should and the tendons have been fully repaired. The bolts in the fibula are holding nicely. And I think you have regained enough strength that you don't need the brace anymore." He said, "As for working, I think you can handle maybe a four hour surgery right now. We'll continue to work with the therapist to get you to a longer surgery but I don't see any reason to keep you on disability."

Padme's eyes widen, "I can work?"

He nods, "Just don't push it."

"And the brace?" She hoped he said she didn't need it. While it helped keep herself from hurting her leg unintentionally, it was wearing out its welcome.

"Keep it for if the leg hurts, but you don't need it all the time anymore."

Padme leaped off of the table and hugged Windu. She was too happy to contain herself in that moment. "Thank you!" She said, her elation evident by the smile on her face.

"You're welcome," Windu mumbled; his eyes wide with surprise. Doctor Padme Amidala was not the kind of person to leap with joy and hug people. She hugged her friends, and her patients when they needed it; but among colleagues she was the epitome of professionalism.

She pulled back after a moment and cleared her throat as she composed herself, "I'm sorry," She said, "I don't know what came over me."

He held his hand up, "It's… alright. I suppose you were just getting tired of the brace."

She nodded, "Yeah. Well, if that's all…"

He nodded, "Yes, um, you can go."

Padme smiled as she left the room without a brace and walking stick for the first time in weeks. She couldn't wait until tonight. She was free of the thing that has been keeping her from showing Anakin just how much she wants him. She started to walk towards the exit, when a thought occurred to her. He was here. She was here. And there were on call rooms on almost every level. She's never done something like this before. Never been… spontaneous like this. But in this moment, it's too good to ignore. Turing around, she makes her way to the surgical floor and finds an empty on call room.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello! So I FINALLY finished this chapter. Sorry for the delay! I honestly don't have a lot of experience with writing smut so I had like four different drafts and I messed around with dialogue, which was a little... odd. To add to that, I've been stuck in a hotel with my parents for days and getting to this point it felt weird trying to write this with my parents in the room. Now that I'm back in my own room, it was easier to write and edit without having someone ask "What are you doing?" To make matters a little more awkward, my sister found where I save my fanfics... so she read this chapter and it is safe to say she is giving me weird looks now. Whatever, I don't care. I am what I am and I am a proud piece of trash!

Updates are still going to be a bit sluggish for a while but stay up to date by following my tumblr. I normally post a general update on Wednesdays and Sundays. Right now since I am going at a much slower pace than normal, I am only doing the Sunday updates.

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 20

The on call rooms were not very big- just large enough for a bunk bed and a small table. They didn't need a lot of space since they were just used as a place where the surgeons could rest a couple hours after a long surgery. The beds were not the best beds, as Anakin can attest to having lived in the hospital for weeks- the couch in the lounge was more comfortable.

Padme pulled out her phone and sent Anakin a quick text- _4_ _th_ _floor on call room. Now._ Pacing the room, she starts to wonder if this is even a good idea. They work in the building. It is risky and reckless and it lacks any form of professionalism… but at the same time exciting and it isn't like people don't already know they are together- besides, they're doctors. It isn't the weirdest or most shocking thing they have seen.

Five minutes later her phone goes off. _Why? What's wrong?_ Padme rolls her eyes and hastily responds telling him to just get there. She needs him to hurry before she loses her resolve. She wants him. But it is still a large step for them both, all things considering. Taking this step… it means a lot to both of them. It means the past is behind them. It solidifies what they feel in a physical way. And it terrifies her as much as it pleases her. The knock on the door interrupts her thoughts as she nearly trips over her feet to open it. It's not Anakin. "Hi, Padme," Ahsoka says, holding back a yawn.

"Hi," She returns, trying to be nice and not groan at the unexpected visitor.

"So…" Ahsoka starts, side stepping to try to get past Padme who is pressed against the door frame while her hand holds the door open, "I just got out of surgery, and I'm really tired so…"

Padme shakes her head, "No. Find another room." She says before closing the door and leaning her back against it. She knows her quick response was rude. She isn't herself right now. This is the first time in months where things seem to be taking a turn for the better and she isn't going to let anything get in her way of that. She can apologize to Ahsoka later.

When there is another knock on the door several minutes later, she opens a door just enough to see who It is before throwing the door open and grabbing Anakin by the front of his scrubs and dragging him inside. He is caught off guard by the action and if Padme hadn't roughly pushed him back against the door after it closed, he would have fallen face first into the ground. "Wha-" His question is cut off as her lips crash against his. It takes him a moment to respond, but when he does, his hands find her waist, pulling her closer to him. her hands find their way into his hair, gripping the blond locks tightly as she fights for control of the kiss.

As she moans into his mouth, he gently pulls back enough to look at her. He is panting as he brings a hand up to cup her cheek, dragging it back to rest on the back of her neck, rubbing his thumb along her earlobe, "Wha- what are-"

"Notice anything?" She asks, raising her leg no longer in the brace to rub against his. His eyes are locked with hers as he drags his hand lower from her hip, following the curve of her ass and tracing the underside of her thigh. His eyes widen as he reaches where her brace should be, "No brace?" He asks.

"No brace." She says; leaning up to catch his lips again but he pulls back. Her brow furrows as she gives him a questioning look. She didn't understand why he pulled back. Didn't he want this too?

"Are you sure?" He asks as his hands come back to rest on her hips.

Padme smiles as she strokes his hair. He wanted to make sure she was ready. And just that one act alone, confirmed what she already knew- they were ready. "Yes." She said, pulling him down to kiss her again, "I'm ready. I want you." She smiled into the kiss as his arms wrapped tightly around her and pulled her flush against him. She can feel him hardening through his scrubs, grinding against his hips, she swallows the groan that rumbles from his chest. His hands lower and find her firm backside, pulling her hips forward to repeat the action and she willingly complies.

Her hands trail down his chest, pulling at his shirt and exposing the taunt muscle underneath. Gripping the shirt, she pulls it up higher and he releases her just enough to fully remove the shirt, throwing it carelessly to the side before his fingers return to her waist. His fingers brush against the exposed skin as he slowly trails them up her sides hesitantly. While she had said this was what she wanted, it seemed he was also looking for physical confirmation that this was what she meant. Padme made no move to stop him as his ministrations slowly gained confidence as he lifted her shirt up and over her head.

Anakin took a step back and let his eyes trail down to her chest. She smiled at the way he looked at her. He always looked at her as if she were perfect- an angel; but with the way he is looking at her now, she swears he thinks she is a goddess. When his eyes slowly make their way back up to meet hers he leans forward to kiss her but she brings a hand up to stop him, resting it firmly on his chest. He stops immediately and pulls back, waiting for her to explain. Padme gives him a sly smile as she lifts her hand up so it is barely touching him before dragging it lower and lower, drawing meaningless patterns on the skin as she goes. She feels the muscle twitch under her touch as she nears the part of him that is visibly aching behind the confines of his pants. She can feel his eyes on her as she reaches the waistband of his pants. He is just as eager as she is. Slipping her index and middle finger into his pants, she hooks then around the fabric as she takes several backwards steps towards the bed and he is left little choice but to follow.

His eyes never leave hers as she leads him towards the bunk bed. The bed squeaks as she sits down and shifts so she is lying down. He comes to hover just above her, one arm braced against the bed by her head, and the other resting on her hip. He smiles down at her and he leans forward and this time she doesn't stop him. Closing her eyes, she moans as his lips meet hers in a gentle kiss. His hand runs up her side before reaching behind her and unhooking her bra. Padme quickly discards it as his hand takes hold of her breast and her hands grip his hair tightly. Releasing her mouth, he plants kisses along her jaw and neck, slowly making his way down to her chest. Her leg rubs against his, pulling him down to press down firmly against her. Anakin groans against her flesh as his still clothed cock rubs against her thigh.

"Oh God," His lips wrap firmly around her nipple, grazing his teeth along the puckered bud. Her grip on his hair tightens as he nips and sucks on it. His groans send vibrations through her body and she can't help the sounds that escape her mouth at the sensation. She can't remember the last time it had been this good. Even after all this time, he still knows what to do, how to bring her to the heights of ecstasy. And it feels wonderful. The sharp pain of his teeth nipping quickly soothed by the way he flicks her nipple with his tongue- the perfect balance that has her shifting eagerly under him.

Anakin trails his hand down her tense stomach as he shifts to rest between her legs. His hand comes to rest on the button holding her pants closed. Releasing her breast, he places one final kiss on the mound before he starts to trail kisses down her stomach as his hands undo the button and starts to pull them along with her panties down her legs. He smiles against her skin; he's been waiting for this for so long- been waiting for Padme let him into her heart again, for her to want this. And now that she has- now that she is, he will do whatever it takes to stay there. Anakin rolls back onto his heels to fully remove her clothes. He has to duck his head so he doesn't hit it on the top bunk. His breath hitches as he stares at her fully exposed for him. His cock twitches in his pants and he had to shift how he was sitting to make the tightness in his pants a little more bareable, "You're so… beautiful," He says, letting his hands run along her slightly bent legs.

This isn't how he imagined this happening. He thought they would find themselves in her bed curled up with her laptop binge watching some series they were too lazy to watch when it was actually on TV and they would slowly start kissing, and then it would gradually get more heated. For Padme to actually instigate it the way she had- in the hospital, in the middle of the day, on a bed that is used by a lot of surgeons and was just barely large enough to fit both of them- it was a complete and total surprise; though not an unpleasant one- he found this impulsive Padme to be very… hot, and it turned him on.

"Oh Ani…Yes! Yes!" She cried as his tongue finds her center. Her fingers flew into his hair as her legs wrapped tightly around his head. "Don't stop! Please don't- Oh!" His tongue draws a circle around her clit and it sends a ripple of pleasure down her spine. He has a very talented mouth- better than any other lover she ever had. With Anakin, it only took one well placed flick for her to be putty in his arms. His hand trailed up the inside of her thigh, teasing her with penetration before pulling back. It was too much. Too little. "Anakin!" She cried as one of his teeth scraped roughly over her sensitive clit.

Anakin flattened his body against the mattress. His cock was straining in his pants and pressing it into the mattress was the only way he could relieve some of the pressure that was building up with every sound Padme made. He groaned as his hand took hold of her hip to keep her steady. He dragged his other hand up the inside of her leg once more, sliding his fingers along her slick folds and circling around it before entering two fingers inside. He groaned at how wet she was, how tight she was, imagining it was his cock instead of his fingers, he shifted and grinded his hips into the mattress. He felt her tighten around his fingers moments later as her moans grew louder and her legs tightened around his head. He sucked harder at her clit and moved his fingers faster, loving the way she screamed his name.

"Anakin!... Oh God!" He brushed his teeth against her clit and closed his eyes as she moaned, "So close!" She said, "There… right there! Oh!" With a sharp flick of his tongue and curling his fingers inside her, she fell over the edge, crying out his name. He pleasured her with his mouth and hand until it was over. Until her legs released their vise grip on his head and her body slumped back against the mattress. Crawling over her, he rested his hips between hers, pressing down against her as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. She responded lazily as her fingers loosened to gently weave her fingers in his messy hair.

"I love you." She said.

He smiled and kissed her deeply, "You are everything to me." He muttered against her lips, thrusting his hips harder against her. She moaned and brought her legs to wrap tightly around his hips, locking her ankles just over his rear. The fingers of her left hand trailed down his front, towards the strings of his pants and pulling it firmly to untie it before slipping her hand inside. He broke the kiss and widened the space between their bodies as she palmed him through his pants. Reaching a hand back, he started to push his pants lower as she moved her hand to help. Pushing them down his hips she watched as his erection sprang free. Her fingers wrapped firmly around it, stroking it gently while running her index finger along he budging vein on the underside. Padme watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his jaw clench from the way she squeezed him. He let out a shaky groan and she smiled at the reaction before releasing him and shifting so he was pressed against her center.

This was it. The moment they've been waiting for since their reconciliation. The moment they have worked so hard for. The moment when they were both able to put their messy past behind them and move forward. Before this point, Padme had been afraid of what sleeping with him would mean. She remembered how great it had been with him before. Remembered how they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Remembered how perfect everything had been until things fell apart. She had been afraid that being with him again would be a mistake. But as she looks up at him now, she knows it isn't. They had both changed since that time. Changed for the better; they were more… connected now; had a better understanding of the other because they had not jumped headfirst into this. And by taking that time, it made this moment more than just lust and sex. It was far more intimate now. She hated the thought of calling it 'making love'- it was too cliché; and yet that is really the only words to describe it.

"Padme…" He says, his voice husky from the strain of staying still. His eyes are focused intently on hers as his fingers brush against her cheek.

He is giving her one last chance to back out now. Curling a lock of his hair around her index finger, she smiles at him. It's nice that he offers her a way out, but it isn't needed. Leaning up, she captures his lips, opening her mouth to him, she feels him press his body down on hers. She can feel him- all of him pressed against her as his hand moves to grip her hip to hold her leg in place as he shifts, brushing the head of his cock against her slick folds. She moans at the feel of him gliding across her, breaking the kiss and brushing her lips on his jaw moments before he enters her.

They both moan at the sensation. Her arms wrap tighter around his neck; it's been awhile and he seems to know that and pauses a moment to let her adjust before pulling out slowly and thrusting back in harder. They grunt and groan as they slowly work to find a rhythm that works for them both.

Padme grips at his shoulders as he moves above her. "Oh God!" She cries out, lifting her hips to meet his, "Anakin! God Ani, you're so… Oh!" He hits the spot deep inside her that leaves her trembling every time he hits it. She can feel him smirk into her collarbone as he focuses on hitting that same spot again and again.

"You feel…" Anakin groans as he increases his speed, "You… tight… So tight." He moans as he thrusts harder, releasing his grip on her hip to help support his body over her. He's close. And so is she. He can feel her core pulsing around him, tightening with each thrust.

"Yes!" She cries as she thrusts her hips erratically into his, "Don't stop! Please!" Padme drags her fingers through his hair, pulling at it roughly so their foreheads touch as she reaches her peak. Her whole body trembles as she goes over the edge again. Anakin gives three more uncontrolled thrusts, groaning as he nears his end before one final hard thrust into her, moaning her name as he erupts inside her.

Gazing into each other's eyes, their breaths mingle in the small space between them as they slowly recover. Her fingers trace along his jaw while he brings one shaky hand up to move her hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear. He smiles at her and presses his lips to hers in a chaste kiss before pulling out and rolling them to lie on their sides. His knuckles brush against her cheek and back as they settle into a relaxed position on the bed in a tangle of limbs.

"I take it therapy went well." He said with a smirk.

"Very." She said, moving her hand to draw teasing patterns along his chest.

He laughed and shook his head, "When you texted me, I have to admit this is the last thing I thought would happen. Since when did you get so bold?"

She gave a shrug, "I didn't want to wait until tonight." She said.

"I'm glad." He said, pulling her closer to him, "But now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do while I'm waiting to go home."

Padme leaned forward and pressed her lips against his in a sweet kiss. There was no lust in it, just her love for him. And he returned it just as sweetly as his arm wrapped tightly around her back. She would love to just stay here forever. But the beeping of his pager had them both groaning. Reaching under the bed for where his pants had disappeared to, he read the message.

"Now I know what I'm going to occupy my time with." He said as he rolled out of the bed and started to get dressed. Padme shifted to lie on her side and watched as he pulled on his pants and shirt, running a hand through his messed up hair. When he finished and looked at her, she watched as his eyes darkened with lust. She smirked at the effect she had on him.

Anakin shook his head and scratched the back of his neck, swearing under his breath as he took her in in all her naked beauty. She was perfect. "You know, I could always get Ben to take it." He said as he leaned down and kissed her, "I would much rather stay here with you than deal with the MVC that just came in."

Padme smiled against his lips and cupped his cheeks in her hands, pushing him back, "No, Ani," She said, "Go. We'll pick this up when we get home."

He smirked and kissed her once more, "Looking forward to it," He mumbled against her lips before pulling back and heading for the door.

Padme stayed in the bed for several minutes after he left before she got dressed and left as discretely as possible. She can't believe what she just did. It had been so… heated between them, she has no doubts someone- or many someones had heard what was going on and she really does not want to explain that right now. She doesn't regret what happened. She can't, not when everything worked out so perfectly. She smiles as several ideas of how to make this day even more perfect come to mind. As she nears the door she sees Sola sitting in one of the chairs, her legs crossed as she glances at her watch before looking up and seeing Padme.

"Crap." She mutters under her breath. She forgot Sola gave her a ride this morning.

Her sister raises a brow at her and checks the time again, "Is there any reason you're this late?" She asked, "Your appointment was two hours ago!"

Padme fought the blush that was threatening to show itself, "Sorry," She said, "I didn't realize how much time passed," Her mind raced as it debated what she should say held her up. If she knew the truth she would never live it down, "It's just… I ran into Anakin," She started, "And we just… lost track of time," It wasn't a lie, not even close; it just lacked details.

Sola smirked as she rose from her seat, "Well, that explains the hickey," Her smirk widened when she saw Padme's hand come up to rest directly on top of the red mark forming on the space between her neck and shoulder. Hiding her laughter behind a hand, she wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders, "Oh, Padme, what am I going to do with you?" She said as they walked out the doors to the car.


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, so I can finally say WITH CERTAINTY, that Chapter 22 is the LAST chapter. I repeat, THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE END! I have to say, this is one of my favorite stories and I hope the prequel story and sequel I plan to do will live up to this story. I have no idea when I will actually start posting the prequel and sequel, but I do know that they will not be written at the same time. It is too difficult writing stories in the same world and not getting the timeline all mixed up.

As for my other stories, I am getting around to them, eventually. Currently I am remodeling my apartment and helping my sister move her family into their first real house so that is taking a lot of my time. I should get back into a regular routine by maybe September since college starts up again and that will give me a chance to better schedule things.

Be sure to follow my Tumblr to stay up to date on what I have planned.

As always, enjoy!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 21

Padme sighed as she fell forward, resting her head on his heaving chest. His hands rubbed gently against her hips as the final tremors of their climaxes ebb away. They stayed like that for several minutes, savoring the feel of their naked flesh pressed together. Anakin kissed to top of her head gently, his hands reluctantly helping to lift her off of his softening shaft so he could dispose of the condom in the trash bin by her vanity. When he returned to the bed he smiled and leaned over her, pressing kisses along her neck.

"You're insatiable," She laughs as she pushes him back enough to meet his eyes.

"You started it." He said as he ran his hands along the curves of her hips, "Jumping me in the on call room and doing so again when I get home; what else did you expect?"

Padme smiled and pulled his head down to hiss him. He pulls her tightly against his chest, her nipples brushing against his in the most erotic way. She moans into his mouth and she feels the beginnings of arousal start up again. As much as she would like to give into him again, she can't. It's already well past two in the morning and she finally gets to go back to work in the morning. She isn't about to show up tired just because she spent the whole night having sex. Great sex. Mind blowing sex. Intensely intimate sex…she shakes her head to clear her thoughts, "Not now," She says as she pulls away from him.

"Yes now," He argues, moving in to try and kiss her again.

"Anakin." He stops at the serious tone she says his name in; "It's my first day back tomorrow. I really don't want to be sidelined because I'm yawning during my first surgery in weeks." She explains. He sighs but he nods his head, conceding to her request. Padme smiles and kisses him softly, "I'll make it up to you tomorrow." She promises as she turns onto her side to turn out the light.

His arm slings over her waist as he scoots as close to her as he can, kissing her shoulder several times before resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes.

[][][][]

Standing in front of the hospital, Padme could not hide the smile on her face. She felt like an intern again staring at the building where lives are saved everyday. And now she was finally able to be a part of that again. Anakin comes to stand next to her, his brow raised as he glances between her and the hospital, trying to figure out what has her so captivated.

"Are you just going to stand there? Or are you actually going to go in?" He asked.

Padme lowered her gaze from the building and nodded, "Yeah, I just… I'm just excited." She said, "I know they'll probably start me off easy with a couple aneurisms before they have me to craniotomies, but still."

Anakin shakes his head and passes her the coffee he got for her, "I'd love to revel in your excitement all day, but I have an ambulance to catch." He said, "Ben just texted me, said they got a heart at this small medical facility and they don't have a surgeon to do the recovery. So I need to get to the ambulance bay before he steals my surgery."

"Will you be back for lunch?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Don't know," He said, "Hospital is a couple hours out and they don't have a lot of stuff so it could take awhile."

It was her turn to raise a brow at him. "What are you trying to do?" She asked, well aware he had some ulterior motive from the overly casual tone he spoke with.

He smiled, "Am I that obvious?"

"Not particularly. But I think I know you pretty well to know when you have something up your sleeve."

He laughed and shoved his hand in his pocket, "Kid also came in with Kawasaki disease."

"And you think by having Ben handle that case he will also patch things up with Satine." She finished. It was a good plan. They would be forced to work together and overcome their differences for the sake of their patient; but it was also a stupid idea if they weren't ready to talk yet. Having been away from the affairs of the hospital, she was a little out of sync with the latest gossip; and with Anakin and Dorme as her main source of information, it was hard to tell what they exaggerated on. Though being back it was only a matter of time before she was back in the loop. "Just don't be gone too long. I don't think Ben would appreciate it if he ended up on the table because you left them together too long."

He shrugged, "That won't happen." He argued, "If we can survive my anger issues and a building falling on you, them getting over Ben's inability to detect flirtation and Satine's anger should be a piece of cake." He said with a proud smile on his face.

She raised a brow at him, "We had to go to therapy to get to this point." She reminded him, "And our situation is completely different. I noticed when you were flirting, he didn't. And I'd say Satine was fairly obvious when she invited him over to watch Netflix."

"True," He admitted, "But this at least gets thing started." He said with a smile. His pager beeps and he doesn't even look to read it, knowing he has to hurry to get to the ambulance bay before Ben. Leaning over he kisses her cheek lightly, "Got to run, "He said, "I'll let you know when I'm on my way back." He promised as he started to back away before turning and walking quickly into the hospital.

Padme shakes her head as she watches him leave. Taking a sip of her coffee, she takes a deep breath to calm her excited nerves and makes her way into the hospital as if she never left. Making her way to the attendings lounge, she retrieves her scrubs and changes quickly so she can get started.

It was so much better being the one in the white coat than the one having to wear the gown. The coat is a sign of authority, of intelligence; and for a doctor to don a patient's gown it takes that away if only for a short time. Padme had been waiting for this day for weeks. She hated the waiting, hated having to limit what she did until she was told she could do more. And as much as she trusts the other doctors in the hospital, she really hated having to listen to them. She is also a doctor and she certainly knows more about her own body than they do. Doctors really do make the worst patients.

In the main lobby, Padme reaches over and grabs one of the tablets and starts to look through the patients she is working with today. Not surprisingly, Farr gave her a couple aneurisms and mostly post-ops with one assisting role on a craniotomy. The first patient she is going to see is a teenage boy who recently had a tumor removed near the optic nerve. She needs to remove the bandages and determine if there was any damage to the nerve.

"Ah!" She yelps, almost dropping the tablet when someone pinched her sides. She hears Dorme's laughter before she sees the woman clutching her sides from laughing so hard. "Dorme," Padme scolds, "That wasn't funny."

She scoffs, "Can you really blame me?" She asked, "I haven't been able to sneak up on you like that since freshman year!" Dorme links her arm through hers and they start to walk towards the post-ops, "I have so much to tell you," She started, "I mean, I would have asked your boyfriend to tell you, but I doubt he wants to hear about my sex life."

Padme stops walking, "Wait, what?" She asks, "Who? When? How?" Her mind is flooded with questions and she can't possibly ask them fast enough.

Dorme raised a hand to calm her, "I'll tell, after you explain that little… stunt in the on call room." She said with a devilish smile.

"Oh God."

"Yeah, there was a lot of that." Dorme said.

If there was a way to sink into the floor, Padme prayed it would happen just about now. If Dorme knew, it meant the entire hospital knew. She can feel her cheeks reddening from sheer embarrassment. "It-it wasn't-" Padme tried to find the words to explain why she did it, particularly because there wasn't any reason, at least not a good, logical reason.

"What? Good?" Dorme tried to fill in, "From what I heard, it was _really_ good."

Padme shook her head, "No, that's not it. It was good."

"Really good."

"I just- I can't… it just happened." Padme said with a sigh.

Dorme nodded her head, "I figured," She said, "You're not really the one for spontaneity though, at least not like that. I'm proud of you." She said, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and started walking again, "Now tell me everything."

"Everything?"

She nodded, "Is it as good as you remember? Does he still do that thing with his tongue? How surprised was he?" The list went on and Padme realized she had made a terrible mistake by telling her these things to begin with. "How big is he really?" She asked, "Because you're like really small and he's what, 6'2"? And don't guys always add an inch?"

Padme rested her face in her hand. This was going to be a long day.

[][][][]

The post-ops were all finished by the time she was hungry for lunch. Having sated Dorme of her unusual obsession with her sex life, Dorme had finally told her about hers, which wasn't much more than a casual hook up with her ex boyfriend and not nearly as interesting as hers. Padme had been tricked. And she felt stupid for falling into the trap. As she walked towards the cafeteria she glanced at her watch. Anakin had gotten back a couple hours ago and he should be done with the transplant by now, hopefully he was already getting lunch so she could avoid more of Dorme's questions.

Through all the commotion of doctors and nurses getting their own meals, Padme could just barely make out Anakin sitting at their usual table with a burger in his hands. Grabbing a tray she proceeded to get her own lunch before making her way to join him. She smiled as she approached and saw him get a glob of ketchup on the side of his mouth. He didn't even seem to notice. Sitting down she reached across and ran her thumb over the corner of his mouth to remove the embarrassingly large spot before sucking the ketchup off her thumb. She laughed when she saw the wide-eyed look he gave her.

He swore under his breath and shook his head, "That… should not have been that hot." He said, bringing a napkin up to wipe his face.

"You have a dirty mind, Ani." She said, "I barely even did anything."

It was his turn to laugh, "Honestly, you don't have to do much to make me want you." He said, his hand finding hers on the table, his finger drawing patterns on her palm, "I'm free for the next hour. What do you say we find an on call room and…" He didn't finish the question- didn't have to when it was obvious what he wanted.

Padme shook her head, "That was a one time deal. And after what I had to endure with Dorme; I'd rather not go through that again."

The smile on his face dropped, "What did she say?" He asked, "Is she bothering you?"

"Well… she knows about the on call room." She started, "And she had some rather… personal questions she wouldn't leave me alone about."

Anakin leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "What kind of questions?"

Padme stared at him and she could tell instantly from the slight smirk on his face he is teasing her. She shook her head, "You're so mean."

He laughed lightly and leaned forward to take her hand in his once more, "Dorme should know better than to stick her nose in our privacy." He said, "Next thing she'll ask is if she can watch our sex tape."

Her eyes went wide and she almost choked on her drink, "We don't have-"

"Of course not." He assured her. The smirk on his face widened, "But we could if you wanted."

Padme's eyes narrowed as she reached across the table and punched him in the shoulder, "Asshole."

He merely laughed and said, "I love you."

[][][][]

Padme sat at the kitchen island with her computer sitting in front of her as she Skyped with her sister. She was currently taking a much deserved summer vacation with the girls to visit Darred's parents at their mountain retreat. Even in the summer the mountains were capped with snow and it worked wonders to wear the girls out.

"So…" Sola said as she sat in front of the fireplace, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, "You and Anakin are good I take it."

She nodded, "Yeah. We're good. Things are working out brilliantly." She watched Sola nod her head and take a sip of her tea, "What's the real reason you wanted to talk?" Padme asked, well aware there was something on her mind. Sola was not someone who liked to Skype. She has never been particularly good with technology and the only way they were able to make this call was because Ryoo explained to her mother how to set it up.

Sola shrugged, "Can't a girl just Skype her little sister from time to time?"

"Yes, but you don't do it without a reason."

She sighed, and spin the spoon in her tea, "Are you happy?" She asked, "With Anakin. Are you happy with Anakin?"

Padme's eyes narrowed, "Of course I'm happy." She said, almost offended her sister would imply otherwise, "How could you possibly-"

"Padme," Sola said, stopping her for the moment, "I'm not trying to be mean or anything. I just… I want to know you're happy. And if you are…" Sola sighed as she pulled the blanket tighter across her shoulders, "If you are, I was wondering if the two of you would like to join us for dinner when we get back next week." She said. The invite startled Padme. She knew Sola was still skeptical about Anakin, given their history, so for her to actually invite him into her home was a big step. "I know you haven't told mom and dad yet. So I figured if things are really going well, maybe I should give him a chance. That way when you do talk to them, I'll have a reason to be on your side."

Padme smiled, "Of course we'll come." She said, "Thank you. This means more to me than you think."

Sola nodded, "You'd do the same for me."


	22. Chapter 22

This is the end. BYOR is over, but the story continues in the prequel which is next on my list for this series!

I hate endings and I could easily think of three other places further along where I could end it, but I found that this was the best place and once I get around to writing the sequel after I finish writing the prequel, I think you will see why. I apologize for the delay on this. I blame the smut because out of all the things I write, from surgery to battles and awkward flirting... for me, smut is by far the hardest. It is easy to just say "they had sex" but it is so much harder to come up with realistic scenarios and describe the emotions at play while also writing really broken and sexual dialogue. If you've looked at my other stories, you know I haven't written a lot of smut so it is a style I am still getting used to.

I am so grateful for all the feedback and support you have given me and I cannot thank you enough for it. I do hope you will continue to follow my stories as get around to my long list of stories I have planned. If you follow my tumblr, you know there is a list of 15 different Star Wars stories I have in mind, two of which are in this doctor AU so I hope to see you all again very soon!

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 22

Anakin stood in front of the stove, watching as the salmon cooked. Padme sat at the island counter, her finger tracing the rim of her long empty cup of tea. Her call with Sola had ended mere moments before Anakin came through the door, a fresh salmon from the store tucked under his arm and a bag of groceries in his other hand. He had insisted that he be the one to cook since the last time she had tried to make dinner for the both of them she overcooked the pasta to the point they were hard on the outside and chewy on the inside. It also didn't help that her fridge and cabinets had more snacks and ready-made food than actual meals. She hadn't complained- not too much. Besides, he was by far the better cook.

The salmon sizzled as he used the turner to flip the two hunks of salmon over in the pan and waited about two minutes before he took the pan off the stove and served them on the two plates to his right. Padme got up from her seat to grab the wine and watched as he added seasoning and garnish before he picked up the plates and served it to her with a proud smile on his face.

Taking the seat next to her he waited for her to take the first bite and his smile widened at her reaction. "And where did you find this one?" She asked as she bit into it again.

"It was some cooking blog. I can't remember which one. Weird as it sounds, I have like five bookmarked on my computer." He said scratching the back of his neck in that embarrassed way that she loves so much.

She shakes her head; "I still can't believe you cook."

Anakin shrugs, "Its cooking. Not brain surgery." He smirks at her, "Then again, you can't even boil water; remind me never to let you cut into me."

Her eyes narrow at him, "Not funny." He laughs anyway as he continues to eat. "Sola called just before you got back." Padme started, taking a sip of her wine.

"Isn't she on vacation?"

Padme nodded, "Yeah, they come back next week. She asked if we would like to come over for dinner one night." She said, "Pending some crisis, we both get off early on Thursday." She isn't really sure how he will react to having dinner with her sister. Especially since it had been fairly obvious for a while that Sola did not like that they were together. But he surprises her by smiling.

"That sounds great." He said, "Do we bring something? I know your family really has a thing for wine, but most of them drink the really expensive wine, don't they? Not the cheap stuff we drink."

"Nothing too extravagant." Padme said, "My parents aren't going to be there, so the cheap stuff will do." She smiled at how something as simple as having dinner with her sister got him worked up like this. He seemed eager to make a good impression and combined with how Sola was also trying to do the same, released the tension she hadn't even known she had in her shoulders. After next week she can officially claim that the rift between her boyfriend and Sola will no longer be an issue. And that only left her parents; but they were a problem for another time.

After they had both cleared their plates of food, Padme rose to clear the counter but Anakin stopped her. Taking the plates from her hands, he turned to put them in the sink before turning back to her with a smile on his face. His arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her body flush against his, making her laugh as her hands come to rest on his broad chest. She saw his smile widen for a moment before he silenced her with his lips.

Padme's eyes closed as her arms slid up to wrap around his neck. Picking her up by the waist, he sat her on the countertop, breaking the kiss only for a moment as his hands rubbed against her thighs before he pressed his lips to her neck, nipping a light trail down the column of her throat. "Ani…" She moaned as his hands slid up to slide under her shirt and moved up her stomach, "We're in the kitchen…" She felt him smirk into her neck.

"And?" He asked, focusing his attention on the skin where her neck met her collarbone.

"The bedroom is only a few feet behind you." She reminded him, though as much as her conscience protested doing it in the kitchen, she didn't fight back when he pulled her shirt over her head. For some reason the thought of him taking her in the kitchen excited her. The impulsivity of it and the inability to take the twenty or so steps to the bedroom was reminiscent of their first night at the lake house where he had confessed his love for her. That night they had ended up tangled in a mess of intertwined limbs as their bodies danced erotically with the fireplace burning in the background.

Padme balled his shirt as she gasped when nipped her earlobe, pulling the shirt tight over his shoulders as a shudder rippled down her spine. "Anakin." She says, her voice as serious as she can muster when he is causing such a reaction in her.

"Do you really want me to stop?" He asks, pulling away from her neck for a moment.

She can feel his breath by her ear and his left hand resting on her thigh. "No." She says, the answer surprising her, but she can't complain as the moment the word left her lips, he kisses her and he shifts so he is standing between her legs. She loses track of time in the kiss. They could have been standing like that for several minutes or just a few seconds, but it doesn't register- nothing does- nothing but Anakin registers for her- his lips, his touch, his voice groaning into her mouth as their desire for one another swells.

They break the kiss only long enough for him to quickly pull her shirt up and over her head before he pushes her to lie back on the counter. The granite countertop was cold under the skin of her back, countered by the warmth of his body as he came to rest above her. Even with his shirt still on, he radiated warmth. Smiling up at him, she kisses him once, twice, three times before her fingers pull at the collar of the shirt and tries to pull it over his head. He laughs as the shirt catches on his ear and he sit up on his knees to help her free him of the navy cotton tee. Once free, she does not hesitate to pull him back down by the hair. Wrapping one leg around his waist, she shifts just enough to tell him without words what she wants and he is more than happy to give it. Anakin takes hold of her hips to steady her as he carefully shifts so she is sitting on top of him. His knee hits the simple glass flower vase, knocking it to the floor but neither seems to care.

Anakin's hands stay on her hips as she sits on top of him. She can feel the ever-present bulge of his desire pressing up into her through the fabric of their jeans and she smiles as she shifts against him just enough to make him inhale sharply and thrust up into her. She sighs as the rough fabric teases her clit, bracing her hands on his chest; she leans forward, sliding her hands up the ridges of his torso to his neck. Her index fingers twist to wrap locks of his hair around them. He smiles up at her as she brings her head closer to his, and he cranes his up to meet her halfway as she kisses him lightly. Padme pulls back and watches as he moves to follow her but is restricted by her hands pushing him down.

He growls low in his throat, none too happy about her teasing but any complaint he might have died quickly once she sat up straight and reached behind her back. Unclipping her bra she lets the garment fall from her arms and lets it drop to the floor. The way his eyes darken and his Adam's apple bobs is all she needs to know that she is pleasing him far more than even he expected. Reaching his hand up, he goes to grab one plump breast but she catches it before he does. Smiling at him in the most seductive way she can, she drags his index finger from the base of the breast, over her nipple and up the column of her throat before tracing it along her lower lip before taking it in her mouth. A groan escapes past his lips as she swirls her tongue around it and nips the tip lightly. "Padme…" He practically whines, "You're killing me." Anakin shifts his hips against her as she teases him and she moans, prompting him to keep moving.

It amazes her how this night is progressing. The other times they have had sex since she was deemed able to, their clothes had been off in a matter of seconds. Tonight for some reason is different. She has no complaints. If anything, the teasing is getting her more excited for when the rest of their clothes do come off. But she can't recall the last time she has ever been the tease. She has teased her partners before, but never like this and it makes her feel… powerful. She is in control. She has the ability to make him whine and beg and because they are still partially dressed, he is denied the contact he desperately wants.

Anakin's teeth clench as his other hand flies to her pants and tries to work the button and zipper with one hand. His fingers fumble as several curses are muttered under his breath but eventually he succeeds and slips his hand inside.

"Fuck…" He groans as his finger brushes against the dampness of her undergarments, "You're so wet. You want me just as much as I want you." He says with a smirk.

"Yes." She sucks his finger hard and releases it with a pop.

"Say it." He orders, his fingers rubbing circles on her clit, "Tell me what you want." He snarls.

While she would normally give in to such a demand knowing he would give her what she wants, he is not the one in control this time. "Only if you do." She says with a smirk, letting his finger drop from her mouth, "You tell me what you want." She lets her finger drop to his waist and fiddles with his belt, brushing her fingers along the skin just above it.

"Fuck." He groans, his eyes closing tightly as she teases him. He lets out a shaky breath as he opens his eyes, "I want to fuck you." He said with a smirk, "I want your lips wrapped around my cock, I want to be inside you, god, I want to touch you." He curled his fingers in her pants around her clit, making her moan and his smirk broadening, "I know you want the same thing too." He said.

Her eyes narrow at him, and she lifts herself up from his waist, pulling his hand away from her before shifting so she is sitting on his knees. Her arms cross over her chest, covering her breasts from his view, "You know, I could just leave you like this." She said, "I could leave you hot hard, deny you of the release you want. I mean, its not like anyone _needs_ sex."

His eyes widen, "Are you kidding me?" His voice rises as he openly gapes at her, "Does it really look like I don't need you?" He asks, pointing at the obvious bulge in his pants.

"It will go away." She answers simply.

"Padme…" Anakin groans as he shifts to rest his weight on his elbows, "I need you." He moans, "I need you more than I need air to breathe."

She shakes her head at him. He can be so dramatic, but the need in his voice is palpable and knowing that she is the object of his desire is the best feeling she has ever had. Her fingers slowly takes his belt in her hands and unbuckles it before slowly unbuttoning his pants and pulls the gold zipper down agonizingly slow. Padme sits up as she finishes and watches as he takes the waistband of his pants and boxers in his hands, shifting his hips so he can push them down to his knees at let his erection spring free.

Her fingers take hold of the stiff member and she starts to pump him slowly. He grunts and groans as she twists and uses her thumb to lightly brush across the head. She can't really believe this is happening. She can't believe that just the thought of stopping to take this to the bedroom is something she cannot bring herself to do. She needs this the same as he does and stopping for any reason would just kill whatever is driving this sensual side of her. Leaning down she blows a cool breeze over the weeping tip and his hand finds its way into her hair as his head drops back to the granite countertop.

She smiles at how his hips twitch seeking more contact and how his belly rises and falls fast with his rapid pants. And as much fun as it is teasing him like this, perhaps it has gone on long enough. Deciding to give him what he wants, she leans closer and presses a kiss to the base of his cock, and starts to trail more kisses up to the tip as her other hand gently massages his sack. When she reaches the tip she takes a moment to look at his beautiful face, how it is contorted in agonizing anticipation for something only she can give him. His eyes open after she stared at him for too long, and the desperate pleading look he gives her makes her more than willing to descend on him.

Anakin hissed as she took all of him in her mouth. In truth, she had never particularly enjoyed giving blowjobs, but with Anakin she had always been a little more willing to try and he had been more patient with her than anyone else. Her eyes closed as she moaned around the member and flicked the tip as she came up. The hand in her hair tightened, though not uncomfortably. She heard his groans and how he whispered her name as she worked him. After teasing him so much, it didn't take long before he was ready to burst. The thick vein on the underside throbbed with each bob of her head and her hand squeezed his sack a little harder in response. He was close. Taking him as far in her mouth as she could, she sucked him hard until the loud growl of her name signaled his release and his seed spilled into her mouth. Her eyes closed as she worked him through his climax, swallowing everything he gave her before slowly releasing him and letting his member fall limp from her mouth.

Sitting up, his hand fell limp from her hair and she watched him as he panted. Pushing her hair back, she crawled over him and folded her hands on his chest before resting her chin on them and watched as he slowly recovered. His body was covered in a thin layer of sweat and the hair on his neck and brow slightly darker for it. His jaw was slack and twitched along with the rest of his body and the sight had Padme smiling with pride. She did that. She made him this way. And she was the only one afforded such a luxury of seeing this man like this.

It took several moments for him to recover and when he did he picked his head up to look at her. A languid smile crossed his face as he brought his hand to her cheek, rubbing his thumb along it, "You… you're just… you're perfect." He said, struggling to find words in this blissful state. She slid further up his body so they were face to face and he pulled her down to kiss her.

"I take it you liked that." She said, running her fingers through his hair.

He laughed lightly, "I think its safe to say that's pretty obvious." He brought his hands to her back and slowly dragged them down to her still clothed backside. Dragging them back up to her waist, he slides his hands into her panties to touch her without barriers. She sighed as he pulled her body flush against his and started grinding against her again. "Unlike you, I would never, ever _dream_ of leaving you wanting." He said as he started to pull her pants over the swell of her backside.

She can feel him hardening again, pressing against her center as his hands worked to pull her pants off. Suddenly he sat up, one hand holding her back so her chest was pressed firmly against his as he shifted to jump off the counter, and placing her feet back on the ground. They didn't stay there for long, however. The moment her pants and underwear pooled around her ankles, she was lifted back into his arms. Her legs wrapping around his waist as he pressed her back into the wall as he kissed her roughly. His cock rubbed sharply against her clit, making her shift eagerly against him. She has had enough of the game they were playing. Now that they stood completely bare, rubbing against the other and feeling the heat of their desire without barriers, the game was done.

Anakin seemed to feel the same way. Turing away from the wall, he readjusted his grip on her thighs before he started to walk towards the bedroom. With her still in his arms, he climbed on the bed and sat kneeling facing the wall, still kissing her. Breaking the kiss, he leaned over to the nightstand on the side of the bed and rummaged through the drawer, pulling out a square blue foil.

Before he could open it, Padme took it from his fingers. Ripping the packet open, she pulled out the condom and watched As Anakin shifted to stretch his legs out under them. Sitting back, she took his member in her hands as she started to roll the condom on. She felt his eyes on her again but she kept hers firmly focused on what she was doing until it was fully on. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she smiled as she gave his cock one final teasing squeeze, before raising herself higher than him. His hands found her waist immediately and helped her lower herself on him.

Padme sighed as she sank down on him, her hands weaving in his hair as she pulled him close, her nipples rubbing against his chest. Anakin pressed his forehead against hers and watched intently as she started to rock on him. It didn't take long for him to find rhythm with her, and they started to move in sync with the other, working to bring each other mutual pleasure. "Oh, God!" She moans as he thrusts up hard into her, "Yes! Oh yes- Ani!" Her walls tighten around him as she bounces on him.

His voice trembles as he quickly pushes her off and she whines in protest but he pays no mind and simply adjusts her so she is facing away from him on all fours before he surges inside her again. "Don't stop!" She moans, "Please, don't stop." Anakin presses his chest to her back and starts to plant kisses along her shoulder blades as he gives her exactly what she asks for. His hips thunder against hers as his hand pulls her hips back to meet his thrusts.

She feels the throbbing of his cock inside her and knows he is close to coming undone. He groans as he reaches between her legs and starts to work her clit aggressively, determined to send her over the edge with him. "Padme…" He grunts against her shoulder, his thrusts more violent than before, "So tight… I'm close… so close… are you-"

"Yes." She responds breathlessly, "So good… Ani… so good…you- you feel so good." His teeth sink into her shoulder and she feels the rumble in his chest just before she comes undone, her walls constricting around his member moments before he snarls and his member pulsates deep inside her.

No longer having the strength to hold themselves up anymore, the collapse against the mattress. His breath fanning against her neck and the light kiss he puts there brings a smile to her face as they roll over. Anakin sits up a moment but only to discard the used condom before falling back against the mattress and Padme snuggles up against him. The silence spread out between them slowly as the air cooled their warm bodies. No words were spoken between them- too tired and sated to speak; no words were really needed. The love they share for one another was clear enough with the way they moved against each other, with whispered words of passion as they reached the heights of euphoria. Padme smiled as she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself as close to him as physically possible. The arm he had wrapped around her squeezed her shoulder as he planted a kiss on her brow. It wasn't long until they both fell asleep.

[][][][]

By the time Thursday came around, Padme was excited about the dinner with her sister. Anakin was so determined to make a good impression on her sister and had even gone out of the way to get both Ryoo and Pooja toys even though Padme had told him he didn't have to. He had simply shrugged and said he wanted to be the cool uncle.

Pulling into Sola's driveway, Padme took a deep breath. There had only ever been two boyfriends she had who had met her family- Palo who had gone to high school with her, and Clovis. In both cases, it had never been a big deal. But with Anakin… it was different. She loves him. She hadn't loved Palo or Clovis when they had met her family- she was working towards it, but she didn't love them and the love she did have for them was completely different from how she feels about Anakin. Only now that she is looking up at her sister's suburban home does she finally start to worry. What if this doesn't go right? What if Sola still sees Anakin as trouble? What if they start interrogating him? Her mind starts to list worst possible scenarios and each one is worse than the last, though some of them are just highly unlikely. What are the odds of her parents who live eight hours away showing up?

She jumps slightly as Anakin takes her hand. When she turns her head to meet him, he smiles at her and squeezes her hand, "You can turn off the car." He said and only then does she realize she has yet to put the car in park even. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." He promises, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her cheek before opening the door and stepping out, taking the two gift bags and the bottle of wine.

He is right. She knows he is right. Stepping out of the car, she takes Anakin's hand as they walk up the porch steps and ring the bell. It only takes a moment for Sola to open the door and hug her sister before accepting the wine and ushering them inside. Ryoo and Pooja run out from the living room and jump to hug their Aunt. Padme laughs as they both start talking all at once, eager to tell her stories from their trip to the mountains. "I'm sure that was a lot of fun." She says.

"Who's this?" Ryoo asked, pointing at Anakin.

Padme smiles and squeezes his hand, "This is my boyfriend, Anakin."

A proud smile crosses his face at being called her boyfriend and he bends over holding out a hand to Ryoo first, "Its nice to meet you. Padme has told me so much about you both." He said, passing them each a bag and watching as they excitedly open them.

"Oh wow!" Pooja exclaimed as she pulled out the stuffed fox, "Nick!"

"Judy!" Ryoo added as she pulled the bunny out of her bag. The two girls smiled at one another as they started to play with the toys.

Padme gave them both a stern look, "Girls, what do you say?"

The two stopped at once and smiled up at Anakin, "Thank you for the toys." They said in unison.

He let out a light laugh, "You're welcome." He said as he returned to his full height. Padme took him by the arm and led him to the living room where Sola's husband Darred was setting the table. The two men shook hands and immediately hit it off as they talked a little about their professions before finding common ground in talking about classic cars. She didn't really have much to contribute in that topic as the most experience she has is telling Anakin to get cleaned up when he comes in covered in grease and grime from working on his bike.

Excusing herself, she moves into the kitchen and offers to help Sola finish cooking. She is handed a knife and instructed to chop up some vegetables, "Your skills with sharp objects are far superior to your skills cooking, dear sister." Sola says as she turns back to stove and adds noodles to the boiling water.

She can hear the girls playing in the other room and hears Anakin's laugh at some story Darred tells him. Padme smiles as this night is going far better than she imagined. Picking up the cutting board she swipes the knife across the surface of it to push the vegetables into the bowl and carries it over to her sister who dumps them in a pot beside the pasta.

Sola turns to meet her as she waits for the food to cook, "So…" She starts; "Darred seems to like him." she says looking through the arch and watches the men who seem to be deep in conversation.

"I imagine they're talking about cars." Padme says, "Anakin gets this look like a kid in a toy store whenever he talks about engines." She explains.

Sola laughs and shakes her head, "Darred tries to act like he knows about that stuff but he really doesn't. Remember when he tried to fix my car and he ended up making it worse?"

She hid her laughter behind a hand, "Dad was furious because it ended up costing three times more to fix the mess he made."

Sola nodded, "Darred is probably trying to brag about that classic car he has sitting in the garage he keeps saying he's going to fix. One of these days I am going to pay my neighbor to haul that thing out to the dump so I can actually use my garage."

"Anakin could get it running." Padme said with certainty, "He worked in a mechanics shop before college and he modified his bike all by himself."

Her sister raised a brow at the statement, "You haven't seen the hunk of junk." She said, turning around to turn the stove down and take the handle of the pot, pouring the noodles in the strainer, and shaking away the excess water before dumping them in the serving dish, "There is more rust than there is car." She said, repeating the process with the vegetables, "In short, my husband needs a new hobby. One that doesn't involve engines and rust." Padme shook her head as her sister finished pouring the red sauce over the vegetables and noodles and stepped aside so she could walk past her into the living room. "Girls, come on, dinner is ready." She called as she sat down across from Darred. Anakin took the seat between Darred and Padme while the girls took the seats on the other side of the table with their mother.

Conversation at dinner started light and carefree as the girls entertained them with stories from their trip to the mountains and all the games they played in the snow.

"How did you meet Auntie Padme?" Ryoo asked.

"Believe it or not, I was about your age when I first met her. Met your mother then too." He said with a smile, "They were on a family vacation when their car broke down near where I lived and my mom was never someone to turn someone away in need, so we let them stay the night." Turning his head, he let his gaze meet hers, "I thought she was the most beautiful person I ever saw. And to this day I have yet to meet anyone who comes anywhere close to being as beautiful." Anakin's hand comes to cover hers and his eyes show the sincerity that is always there when he talks about her like that.

"That is so romantic!" Pooja squeals as she watches the two of them non-so subtly flirt with their eyes.

Padme breaks the gaze she has with him; "He exaggerates," She said, narrowing her eyes playfully at him.

"Me? Exaggerate? Never." He scoffed in response.

"If you knew each other that long, why did it take so long to get together?" Pooja asked.

Anakin looked at Padme, unsure exactly how to answer this question and not knowing how much he should tell them. Padme squeezes his hand, "Well, we grew up in different towns and we fell out of touch until my first year as a doctor when he was in his final year of medical school."

"I thought the guy was supposed to be older than the girl." Ryoo said.

Anakin laughed, "Not necessarily." He said, "When you find the person you love, it isn't about something as silly as a number. It's about the person- who they are, how they make you feel, how they make you a better person; age is just a number."

Padme's heart skipped a beat as she heard him speak and her sister looks just as surprised. Anakin can spin words into gold when he feels like it and this is one of those times and it couldn't have been more perfectly timed. Added to how perfect this night is, and Sola can not possibly find any fault with him even if she tried. He is just too perfect right now, and if she were alone with him, she would wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him senseless. But as they weren't she would have to settle for smiling at him and conveying how she felt wordlessly.

The rest of dinner went by without a hitch and watching Anakin entertain the girls with overly dramatic stories about hearts brought a smile to her lips as she followed her sister into the kitchen to help clean up.

Sola set the dishes down in the sink and started running the hot water on them. She turned to meet her sister and smiled, "He really is something." She said, watching him play with her girls.

"Yes, he is." Padme agreed.

"I have to admit, when you first told me you were together again, I was terrified you were just falling for his charm." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, "But… I can't deny that he loves you. He loves you more than anything by the looks of it, and I know you feel the same… I'm happy for you." Sola took a breath, "And whenever you decide to tell mom and dad about him, I've got your back."

She smiled at her sister, "Thank you."

Sola shook her head, "No need to thank me. You deserve it. You're meant to be together."

Padme watched Anakin as he played with the girls and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was right. They were meant to be together. To overcome all that they had, it was the hardest thing she has ever done and yet… she can't deny that it is the most rewarding thing she has done. Her life before Anakin is dull by comparison to what it is now. And she wouldn't trade it for the world. She has no regrets, and whatever life has in store for them next, she is ready to face them and with Anakin at her side, they can't lose.

The End


End file.
